Back to Back
by EvanescentAmethyst
Summary: When Natsuki Kruger--an Elite, secret-service agent--is transferred, her already-life-threatening job gets even more interesting. It's not the case load that makes it hard to stay professional, but her new partner: the dangerously alluring Shizuru Viola.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone. :D This is chapter one of my second fanfiction so far. I really hope everyone enjoys it!**

**I just wanted to remind everyone that this is not a sequel to FANG, lol. A lot of people have been asking about one, but for now I think I'm going to be working on this. I hope you like this one anyway! :D **

**Extreme thanks goes out to WouldBeSenpai and Leebot who both generously helped me brainstorm future Shiznat. :D WouldBeSenpai is also my amazing new beta, so, if you notice the extreme decrease in punctuation errors, you have her to thank for it! :D**

**And now... It has begun! *evil laugh***

**Thanks for reading!!! I'd really, really appreciate it if you guys would review! :D**

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Back to Back

**Chapter 1: Change of Location**

Natsuki Kruger brushed her long navy hair out of her eyes defiantly. She pulled the key out of the ignition, stepping out of her car in one, smooth motion. Quickly, she glanced down at her watch as she started walking toward the large building. It was five forty-nine A.M.

She slowed her pace down a little as she opened the heavy door. The meeting was at six, and if she _was_ getting fired, she didn't exactly want to appear too eager.

Natsuki exhaled slowly, swiping her key card when she got to the inner doors. When the light turned green she pressed her thumb onto the small, electronic pad. "_Just stay calm,"_she instructed herself, _"__Why would they fire you?" _Performance-wise, she was almost top of her class. She'd broken nearly every record set at the Fuuka District, though—admittedly—her short temper _did_ cause some problems every now and then.

There was a small click as the door unlocked. Natsuki turned the handle, walking into the office.

Still, a meeting with the head of the district was never a good sign. It was rare for an operative, who had made his/her way up to the fourth class, to get fired. However, it was certainly not unheard of. Natsuki walked down the long hallway, her training in body language paying off more than she knew. The mixture of her black dress pants and long stride screamed confidence, though, 'confident' definitely wouldn't have been the word Natsuki would have used to describe herself.

She swallowed slowly, nodding to a third-class agent who looked her way. The man smiled back, his cheeks tinged a light red color.

_Someone skipped the training on how to slow down heart rate. _Natsuki mentally scoffed as she watched him walk past. She managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes and continued walking past the armory. Natsuki finally came to a stop in front of the elevator, her hand hovering over the 'up' button. She hesitated only for a moment before pressing it and stepping back.

After a few seconds, the door opened.

"You still work here agent Kruger?" a familiar voice ran out.

Natsuki glanced up at the sole occupant of the elevator, grinning. "I still haven't had my meeting yet, Mai," she replied. She glanced at her watch once more. "I guess we'll know in six minutes."

The redhead stepped to the side so Natsuki could get in and leaned against the wall. "Look Natsuki, you're one of the best level-fours this district has. There's no way you're getting fired that easily." Mai looked at the worried look on Natsuki's face, and smiled reassuringly. "Seriously, trust me on this one."

"I've talked to him _twice_ since I've gotten here. Why would he want a meeting with me?" Natsuki exclaimed.

"I don't know," Mai admitted, then grinned at the navy-haired woman, "maybe you're getting bumped up a level." She raised her eyebrows for effect.

Natsuki snorted, giving Mai a look. "No one our age makes it to Eilte, Mai. There's probably a regulation or something." It was true. The youngest Elite she knew was 36, a full 13 years older than herself. As it was, she and Mai were two of the youngest fourth-class agents in the district.

Mai laughed. "I doubt it."

The elevator door opened slowly. Natsuki and Mai peered out, glancing over at the secretary. There was a small waiting room next to the desk.

"Well, this is it," Natsuki said, breathing out slowly. "It was nice working with you."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you're so optimistic."

"Hey, this is secret services Mai," Natsuki replied, stepping out of the elevator, "they _train_ you not to be optimistic."

Mai laughed as the doors closed.

Natsuki turned back to the office, eyeing the secretary evenly. She gave the violet-haired woman a small smile before walking over.

"Kruger, Natsuki," she said after a brief pause. She watched as the secretary glanced down at some papers on her desk before nodding. Natsuki glanced over at the waiting area, ready to sit down.

"You can go right in," the woman said after a moment.

_Or not. _Natsuki thought to herself. "Arigato," she said quietly, turning back to face the large wooden door. She walked quickly over, wondering if she should knock or go right in.

Then again, the man she was going to see had the highest level of operative training possible. It probably _wasn't_ a good idea to barge into his office unannounced. Natsuki paused in front of the door, raising her hand to knock.

"Come in Agent Kruger," a deep voice greeted her before her hand touched the door.

Natsuki lowered her hand abruptly, a little startled. Quickly she turned the handle, stepping into the large office.

The balding man spun to face her in his chair, regarding her with an almost bored expression. He gestured towards the chair in front of his desk, making no motion to get up.

Natsuki walked over and sat down, keeping her breathing steady. The director sat up a little straighter, propping his elbows up on the desk in front of him.

"Arigato for coming Kruger-san," he said after a moment. He watched Natsuki's face for a reaction.

Natsuki nodded, waiting for him to continue. She wasn't sure she liked the serious expression now on his face. _That can't be a good sign._

"I presume you're wondering why you're here." He phrased the sentence as more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, sir," Natsuki answered, crossing her right leg over her left. She folded her hands onto her lap.

"I also presume you've heard that Arai Hirohito, Garderobe's Foreign Affairs Minister was found dead three days ago," he replied.

"It's been all over the news," Natsuki confirmed, hiding a confused look. Garderobe was out of their jurisdiction. They had their own special forces unit. The case had nothing to do with her.

The director nodded, clearing his throat before shifting slightly in his chair. "Garderobe's Special Forces Unit has..." He hesitated for a moment, the annoyance flashing briefly across his face. "..._Requested_ our assistance."

Natsuki regarded him curiously. He didn't look too pleased.

"It seems, with a few exceptions, their agents are nowhere near as proficient as our own." He locked eyes with Natsuki. "They have asked me to assign one of our own agents to help them out with the case."

Natsuki nodded wordlessly, her heart racing. _Am... am I supposed to help them out on a case? _Why couldn't they have gotten her direct superior to fill her in? That was how she was normally assigned cases. What made this one any different?

The director gave a small sigh as he sat back in his chair. "Of course they were quite specific in requesting an _elite_ agent for the task. As I'm sure you know, there are only seven operatives of that ranking at our district."

"Yes, sir," Natsuki replied. What was he getting at?

"Seeing as there are so few they are valued quite greatly," he continued, "I would hate to lose any of them. I'm sure you understand."

"I'm sorry sir, I don't see what this has to do with me," Natsuki said after a moment, "I'm not an elite agent."

"No?" The director smiled, raising his eyebrows, "you weren't until five minutes ago."

Natsuki's mouth fell open slightly. "I...I'm getting promoted?" she asked, shocked, "But... I..I'm only twenty-two sir." She laughed, everything still sinking in.

"I'm quite aware of your age," the man replied, smiling. "You are quite young, even to be a level-four agent." His smiled faded a little. "However, _experienced_ level-four agents are almost as invaluable as elite agents are."

Natsuki's smile faded a little as well. What was he trying to say?

"You were only promoted to level four last year," the director continued, glancing down at the file Natsuki presumed was hers. "That being said, for someone as inexperienced as you are, you have done quite well in your time here."

"A..arigato," Natsuki replied, her stomach clenching. She wasn't sure—all of a sudden—that she liked where this was headed.

"You have had some...personal conflicts while working here, but—overall—your performance has been very satisfactory," he paused for a moment, meeting Natsuki's eyes with his own. "It is for that reason I have chosen to promote you. You will be transferred to Garderobe to assist them in any way possible."

Natsuki's chest tightened even more when she finally realized what was happening. "But... I'll be working there temporarily, right?" she asked, unsure she wanted to hear his response.

The director shook his head, his face neutral. "You are being transferred permanently. Starting Monday, you will no longer be employed by Fuuka."

"What?" Natsuki breathed, unable to conceal the shock in her voice. "You're transferring me!?" She'd worked at Fuuka for the past four years! They couldn't just transfer her to an entirely new sector!

"You should be happy, agent Kruger," he replied calmly. "For someone so young, this is quite an opportunity."

Natsuki held back a gasp when she finally realized what was going on. Everything suddenly made sense. She knew she shouldn't say anything, but her anger at this point was verging on uncontrollable. "You're promoting me so you don't have to give up an Elite," she whispered, the words barely making it out. "Because I'm...what..." she searched for the right word, raising her voice angrily, "_...expendable_?"

The man raised his eyebrows, a mildly amused look playing across his face. "I didn't catch that agent. Did you have something to say?" His voice stayed calm, but the look in his eyes had suddenly turned threating.

Natsuki opened her mouth to retaliate, but stopped herself. She took a deep, slow breath, lowering her voice once again. "Why me?" she asked, unable to stop herself. "I'm one of the highest ranked level fours."

"That may be true," the man nodded, eyes flicking back to the file on his desk once more. "Do you want me to be honest?" he asked, as if daring Natsuki to say 'yes'.

Natsuki nodded, meeting his eyes. The look of amusement that shone in them was nothing short of infuriating.

"You're a troublemaker," he said bluntly. "I don't care how many records you've broken. You've been in two fights since the start of your career, and judging from the way you've questioned my decision, I don't see that as about to change anytime soon." He gave her a smug smile as he leaned back in his chair once more.

"Have you even read those fight reports?!" Natsuki asked, unable to stop herself from glaring, "I've complained to my direct superiors and _nothing_ has been done."

"I have," he replied evenly, "...and I really don't see what the issue is."

"You could at least _try_ teaching your agents how to respect a female coworker," Natsuki snapped, knuckles white as she gripped the sides of her chair, "that way troublemakers like me wouldn't have to do it for you."

The man's smile widened for a moment before he picked up a large envelope from off of his desk. "This has everything you need to get you in Garderobe's front door," he said, ignoring her statement entirely, "I believe we're finished here, don't you?"

Natsuki's mouth fell open. Had he completely disregarded everything she had said?! She ripped the envelope out of his hands, standing up quickly. She shoved the chair back loudly, as she started to leave.

Her grip tightened on the envelope as she paused by the doorway. She turned around slowly, meeting the man's eyes from across the room.

"It's been an _honor_ working under you, sir," she sneered. The man nodded, a taunting smile on his face as Natsuki walked out of the office.

Natsuki didn't stop at the doorway. Without looking over at the secretary she walked quickly over to the elevator and punched the 'down' button. She got in before the doors fully opened and slammed the 'close' button.

She remained standing until the doors were fully closed before slumping against the wall. The camera in the elevator was the only thing stopping her from punching the wall.

"_I can't believe this," _Natsuki thought numbly to herself. Sure, she was getting promoted, but it wasn't like she had earned it. Everything—her cases, her friends—was _he__re._ She was the one getting promoted: the new opportunity, the new status... so why did it feel like she was getting left behind?

The door opened and Natsuki quickly stepped out. She walked down the hallway, swiping her key card when she got to her office door.

"How did it go?" Mai called out excitedly. She walked down the hallway toward Natsuki, a cup of coffee in her hand.

Natsuki turned to look at her before stepping into her office. She held the door open for her friend.

Mai could tell from the look on her face something was wrong. Surely they hadn't fired her... right? There was no way. "What happened?" Mai asked, the concern evident on her face.

Natsuki turned, brushing her long hair back with her hand, and angrily placing the other hand on her hip. "I got promoted," she replied, her tone of voice not matching the statement at all.

"What!?" Mai laughed, "oh my God, congratulations! You have to be the youngest Elite in Fuuka District's history!" She stepped forward to give the navy-haired woman a hug.

Natsuki stepped back, holding out her arms to stop her. "No, Mai. I got promoted _because_ I'm so young." The anger in her voice was evident.

"What are you talking about?" Mai asked, her grin fading slightly.

"Apparently I'm an inexperienced troublemaker," Natsuki replied, "no one cares about my case records, that's just all they see. My age. My history of violence..." She trailed off, turning to angrily slam the package in her hands on her desk.

"I...I don't understand," Mai said quietly, her smile now completely gone.

"Garderobe asked Fuuka to give them an elite agent. The _director_ isn't too happy about it, but he doesn't have a choice," Natsuki swallowed hard. "Instead of giving them someone valuable, he just decided to promote me."

"W..what?" Mai stuttered, her chest clenching when she realized what Natsuki was implying.

"I'm being transferred," Natsuki said quickly, turning to look away so Mai wouldn't see the look on her face, "effective immediately."

"No...but, Natsuki, they can't just do that!" Mai replied angrily, "you're a great agent Natsuki; you know that!"

"Apparently not," Natsuki replied quietly. She took a deep, slow breath—trying to get her own emotions back under control.

"That bastard," Mai whispered, the realization settling in. She looked over at Natsuki, knowing how upset she must be. "Come here," Mai said gently, walking over to the navy- haired woman.

Natsuki reluctantly allowed Mai to hug her tightly. "I'm... I'll be fine Mai. Don't worry about it," she said quickly as she pulled away, "why would I want to work for that jerk anyway?" She gave a small laugh as if to prove she was alright.

"You know how much I love you Natsuki. I'm going to miss you like crazy," Mai said softly.

Natsuki nodded her head, a genuine smile working it's way onto her face. "Sorry Mai, you know you're not my type."

"Red-headed?" Mai asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Straight," Natsuki replied, grinning, "I try to _avoid_ the whole cliché of falling for someone who can never feel the same way."

Mai pouted. "But... you _would_ fall for me right?" There was a small pause. "...Right?"

"If you were gay?" Natsuki asked, an amused look on her face. She thought about it for a moment. "I don't know."

"Why not?" Mai gasped, a mock offended look on her face, "what's wrong with me?"

Natsuki groaned. "Please can we not have this conversation?" she asked, laughing, "I know there's no right answer to a question like that."

Mai's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Fine," she sighed after a moment. Then she grinned as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "I bet Garderobe is full of hot women your type. This transfer could really be a blessing in disguise you know."

"Oh, I'm sure," Natsuki replied sarcastically, "how blessed I feel."

"Hey, don't knock it," Mai replied, laughing, "You just got promoted. Who cares why, that's all that matters. And you get to be the hero, helping out some poor district that doesn't have enough funds to train agents of its own."

"How noble of me," Natsuki grinned, rolling her eyes. There was a long pause. Her grin faded to a small smile.

Mai watched as Natsuki turned back to her desk, examining the mess of papers scattered on top of it. "Well, I guess I'd better pack up my things," Natsuki said after a moment.

Mai nodded, her gaze shifting from the desk back to the navy-haired woman across from her. "I'd offer to help, but the police just faxed in the ballistics report. I have to get it to Toshio."

"Yeah, of course," Natsuki replied, glancing down at the folder in Mai's hands, "oh, actually, could you do me a favor?" she asked. She walked around to the other side of the desk, picking up two folders of her own. "These have the latest information on the case I was working on. I guess I can't really take them with me, since it won't be my jurisdiction anymore." Natsuki smiled as Mai took the folders.

"I'll hand them in for you," Mai replied, unable to mask the sadness in her voice.

"Oh well," Natsuki sighed, "I wasn't getting anywhere anyway. At least now it's someone _else's_ problem."

Mai laughed, nodding. "That's the spirit."

"Arigato, Mai," Natsuki said after a moment. Garderobe was only a couple hours away, but she knew she would be seeing her friend a lot less.

"No problem," Mai replied. She smiled once more before turning and walking out.

Natsuki waited for her to leave before leaning back against her desk. "_I guess this is it then", _she told herself, glancing around her office once more. She grabbed one of the boxes from on the floor and started packing away her things.

* * *

Natsuki made it back to her apartment before nine A.M. Still, there was no way she was staying for the rest of the day at the office. It's not like the director would say anything to her about it.

Natsuki dumped the box full of her belongings onto her couch. She started to walk toward the kitchen before pausing. After a moment she walked over to the box and took out the large envelope. She sighed, nudging the box over so she could flop down on the couch.

With a quick swipe of her fingernail, the envelope was open. Natsuki took out the thin booklet, scanning the cover quickly. _Garderobe Temp Agency – We'll find the people who can get the job done right. _Natsuki rolled her eyes. So this was her cover? "_Well, I __guess it's better then income tax software des__igner," _she admitted. Try explaining that one to someone who asks about your job when you don't know the first thing about software design.

Natsuki glanced at the picture of the front door on the cover. The building itself looked a little beat up. Then again, it probably wasn't a very good idea to make a top secret organization's head quarters look too inviting. Her eyes scanned down the rest of the cover, stopping at the bottom. _All our services accessible on-line or by phone for your convenience. _Natsuki grinned, shaking her head. "_Of course they are," s_he thought to herself.

She opened the booklet and a few sheets of paper fell out. She picked up the first, reading it carefully. This one had her name on it, suggesting it definitely wasn't designed for public viewing. After scanning it quickly, Natsuki realized it had her cover-job description. It was quite detailed. She was responsible for on-line temp job management. A client would submit a request and she would search the database for the correct person for the job. Of course, in her real line of work you couldn't always stay in one place. It read on the sheet of paper that she—herself—was also in the database, should her services be needed. That would explain any absences nicely.

Natsuki glanced at the second page. It had instructions on how to get to the building. She put it down after a moment, picking up her new key card. It was, no doubt, magnetically encoded to be irreproducible by anyone other than the special-services private contractor.

She glanced down at the picture, comparing it to the one on her current card. Natsuki knew they had used the same picture from the database, but it had been altered slightly to look like it was different. "_It never hurts to be thorough," _Natsuki mentally recited, smiling as she quoted the teacher from one of her first training classes. It had been one of his favorite phrases.

Natsuki put the card down on the small table, walking over to grab her phone. She had two calls to make, and she honestly wasn't sure which one she dreaded more. The first was to her landlord. The second was to her mother.

She could already hear her mother's reaction to her moving hours away. The more Natsuki thought about it, the more she _really_ didn't want to call her. "_Landlord it is," _Natsuki decided, walking over to her fridge. She moved one of the magnets to the side, grabbing the card that had his phone number on it.

She walked over to the small kitchen, sitting down in the closest chair. Natsuki dialed the number quickly, glancing down at the Garderobe booklet as she waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?!" his voice sounded out loudly.

Natsuki winced a little, holding the phone away from her ear. "Yeah, hi Maro. This is Kruger Natsuki calling. I'm one of your tenants."

"Kruger?" the man repeated thoughtfully, "Kruger Natsuki."

Natsuki tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. Shouldn't he have a list or something?

"Oh!" the man exclaimed, "the hot one with the dark blue hair, right?"

Natsuki's grip on the phone tightened. "Moving on," she said firmly. "I'm switching jobs on Monday, and my new job is pretty far away. I'm going to have to find some place closer to live."

"Oh. Uh, okay," the guy replied, "so you won't need the apartment next month?"

"No, in fact, I was wondering if I could get some of the money back for the end of this one," Natsuki said, mentally crossing her fingers. It was the sixth, so it wasn't like most of the month was already over.

"Sorry, I can't do anything about that," Maro said quickly, his voice completely void of any concern.

"You're telling me I have to pay one thousand and seven hundred dollars for the eight days I'll be here?" Natsuki replied angrily, "Look, isn't there some way I can get part of the money back?" She rolled her eyes as she forced herself to speak. "..._Please?_"

The man chuckled, obviously finding something amusing. Natsuki didn't share his view on the situation.

"Well," he replied, thinking about it, "would you go out to dinner with me?"

Natsuki's jaw dropped open. _What a hentai! _Once more she forced herself to reply. It _was_ quite a lot of money. You'd think a potentially life-threatening job would pay more than it did. "I... it's certainly possible," she replied, her grip on the phone tightening, "does that mean you'll give me a refund?"

The man laughed once more. "Sure, why not?"

"Arigato," Natsuki replied dryly, "I should be out of here by Sunday night." She started to lower the phone.

"Hey!" Maro yelled. "What about our date?"

Natsuki raised the phone once more to her ear. "Look Maro, I'm _not_ going out with you, okay? But I do appreciate the refund."

"Well... then you're not getting a refund," he replied stubbornly.

"But, you just said..." Natsuki protested.

"I don't care what I just said!" the man replied loudly, "prove it."

Natsuki slowly lowered the phone, her thumb pushing down on the 'end' button a lot harder than necessary. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. _Perverted jerk. _

"Prove it?" she muttered, crossing her arms. _Don't tempt me. _She knew for a fact her phone line was tapped. Someone was probably typing up their conversation at that very instant. Then again, it wasn't like she could explain why the government was concerned with her phone conversations. Besides, she didn't think her landlord qualified as a threat to national security.

After a moment she sighed, glancing over at the clock. It wasn't _that_ early, and it wasn't like her mother had a boss to worry about. "_It must be nice to be the one giving out orders,"_Natsuki thought to herself as she scrolled though the phone menu. She selected Saeko's Travel Agency from the list.

Her mother picked up after the second ring. "Natsuki," she answered, seeing her daughter's number come up on the screen. There was a small pause. "Don't you have work?"

"Not yet," Natsuki replied, trying to sound as happy as possible, "I quit my job, mom."

"You what!?" her mother replied, almost dropping the phone.

"Don't worry mom," Natsuki laughed, "I've been hired at a Temp Agency in Garderobe. It's a bit far, so I'll have to move, but it pays a _lot_ better."

"What are you talking about?" Saeko asked, her worry coming across strongly in her voice, "Natsuki, Garderobe is hours away."

"I know," Natsuki replied, masking the anger in her voice, "But... you know, I really think I'll like my new job." Her voice faltered so slightly only someone with training could have picked it up.

"You're already so far away," her mother said quietly. "Are you sure you can't find something closer?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Natsuki replied, feeling a little guilty. "Please don't worry mom, you know I'll visit."

"Well," her mother sighed, sensing she had no say in the situation, "...when do you start?"

"Monday," Natsuki replied, wincing slightly.

"What!?" her mother exclaimed. "Where are you going to stay?"

"I'll have to stay in a hotel for the first few days," Natsuki said quickly, "until I can find something else."

"Do you need help moving?" Her mother asked, ready to close up the shop right there.

"Hmm? Oh, no," Natsuki shook her head, though her mother couldn't see her. "All the furniture came with the apartment so it's not like I can take it with me anyway."

"...Are you sure this is wise?" her mother asked, sounding even more worried.

"Yeah," Natsuki laughed, "I already met the manager and she seems really nice."

"Natsuki," her mother scolded, "don't tell me you're doing this for a girl."

"She's forty mom," Natsuki replied quickly, rolling her eyes. On second thought, she should have definitely said the manager was a man. "And I wouldn't switch jobs just for a girl."

"But you haven't met anyone in years," her mother protested.

"So now you _want_ me to change jobs for a girl?" Natsuki asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I never said that," her mother argued.

Natsuki laughed, moving the phone to the left side of her face. "It's okay mom, I know what you meant." She paused for a moment, trying to sound casual. "Well, I have to get packing. I'll call you when I get settled in, okay?"

"Bu.." her mother started to protest.

"Bye mom," Natsuki said quickly, hitting the 'end' button. She breathed out a sigh of relief, putting the phone down on the counter. At least she'd gotten that over with.

She paused for a moment. _Years? _It hadn't been _years_... right?

Natsuki glanced around her apartment before leaning back against the counter in exasperation. How was she suppose to pack everything before Sunday? "_If we were allowed to take our guns home, I'd just shoot myself now," _Natsuki thought bitterly as she walked back over to the couch.

Her Friday hadn't exactly been the ideal way to end the week.

* * *

Monday came far too quickly for Natsuki's liking. She rolled over in her bed, her stomach knotting even tighter as she hit the 'off' button on her alarm. Natsuki leaned her back on her pillow, staring up at the hotel-room ceiling.

"_Since when am I this nervous about anything?" _Natsuki asked herself finally. As if to prove to herself she wasn't afraid, she got up suddenly, walking over to the bathroom. She paused, brushing her long hair back as she looked at her reflection. She didn't actually look that bad... considering the fact that she'd been awake since three AM.

An hour later she was done getting ready. Natsuki quickly grabbed her black suit-jacket and put it on, folding the collar of her light blue dress shirt over the black one. She picked up her new key card and her parking pass, along with the directions on how to get to Garderobe. She'd driven past the establishment the day before to make sure she'd known where it was, but it never hurt to be sure.

* * *

Natsuki pulled into the parking lot, picking the first spot she could find. Carefully, she hung her parking pass on the rearview mirror before getting out of the car. She turned around, examining the large building before her.

It was quite a bit smaller than the one at Fuuka. She glanced over at the main doors, her eyes drifting up to the various cameras set in place. There were only two that she could see from where she was. Natsuki knew there would be quite a few more hidden around the building's exterior.

Her gaze was drawn to one of the exits on the side, then to the various tinted windows lining the front wall. It was always good to have alternative escape routes.

"_Alternative escape routes?" _Natsuki mentally repeated to herself as she started walking, "_I have to work here. There is no escape." _She reached the outer door, opening it slowly. Natsuki walked into what looked like a reception area.

Natsuki glanced around, slightly confused. There was a row of chairs set out beside her. She glanced over at the empty desk, raising her eyebrows. It was more than a little sloppy to leave the entrance completely unattended. The room had two doors branching off of it. One was marked 'Interviews'and the other had no markings of any kind. There was, however, a fingerprint scanner beside the unmarked door.

_Looks good to me. _Natsuki walked over, key card in hand. She was about to swipe her card when one of the doors behind her opened suddenly.

Natsuki turned, watching a woman walk out of the 'Interview' room. The woman looked up at her curiously, sweeping her light brown hair out of her eyes.

Natsuki pulled her arm back quickly, startled when the woman's dark red eyes met her own. She studied them carefully, unable to look away as the light glistened off of them—the result a stunning shade of crimson Natsuki was sure she'd never seen before.

The woman's mouth turned up in a small smile as she started to walk over, her high heels managing to hit the floor so softly Natsuki almost couldn't hear her footsteps.

"And who might you be?" she asked, continuing to walk towards Natsuki.

Natsuki felt her face heat up as she lowered her arm the rest of the way. She turned her body to face the woman, swallowing forcefully. _She... she's gorgeous. _Natsuki studied the woman as well as she could without staring, her movements somehow finding a perfect balance between elegance and strength. Natsuki opened her mouth to respond, silently praying her voice hadn't gone so hoarse she couldn't speak.

The phone on the desk rang suddenly, making Natsuki jump slightly. The red-eyed woman was unable to suppress a smile when she saw Natsuki tense up, making the navy-haired woman blush.

Natsuki crossed her arms, scowling slightly when the woman smiled at her teasingly.

"I'll just be one moment," she told Natsuki, meeting her eyes once more before turning away. She walked over to the desk, picking up the phone before it could ring a third time.

Natsuki nodded, grateful for the distraction. She inhaled slowly, her eyes trailing down the woman's form, despite her attempts to mentally stop herself. Natsuki felt her face heat up even more as her gaze was drawn from the woman's form-fitting, red shirt to her almost knee-length, tan business skirt. Natsuki bit her bottom lip slightly, as if to snap herself out of it. She carefully tried to slow her heart rate—a technique she'd perfected to pass any lie detector test. Natsuki felt her pulse increase dramatically when she wasn't successful.

She gulped, watching the way the woman's soft hair cascaded down the top half of her back. "_Great," _Natsuki thought bitterly, her heart now pounding loudly, "_there goes five years of training." _At this rate the whole office would know she was gay before the end of the day. Not everyone was as open to the idea as Mai was. It was _definitely_ not a promising way to start off her career.

The chestnut-haired woman held the phone up to her ear, turning to lean casually against the desk so she was facing Natsuki. "Garderobe Temp Agency, how may I assist you?"

There was a long pause before the woman spoke once more.

"Yes sir, I'm sure we can find a suitable assistant for you." She smiled, glancing up at Natsuki as she spoke.

Natsuki's grip on her key card tightened slightly. Something struck her as odd about the way the woman spoke. Her voice suggested she was from Garderobe, but Natsuki thought something sounded a little off.

She watched curiously as the look on the woman's face changed to one of amusement.

"No sir, I won't be the one assigned to you," she laughed melodically, red eyes sparkling. "I apologize, but I lack the skills necessary to fulfill your needs."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows, meeting the woman's eyes questioningly. The door behind Natsuki opened, making her reflexively turn around.

Another woman, with short dark-gray hair, walked out. The door closed behind her as she stopped to stare at Natsuki for a moment. Natsuki glanced down at the coffee in the woman's hand before looking at her face once more. The gray-haired woman gave a friendly smile before hurrying past her and over to the desk.

The red-eyed woman glanced up, waving slightly to the newcomer. The gray-haired woman gave her a sheepish look as she set her coffee down.

There was a small pause before the brown-haired woman laughed once more, "I'm quite flattered, sir. I like your voice as well."

The gray-haired woman grinned, giving the first woman a look.

"If you'll excuse me, my assistant is here to take down the information," the brown-haired woman said quickly, a small smile on her face, "...yes, you have a wonderful day too, sir." She lowered the phone, covering the mouthpiece.

"Sorry," the gray-haired woman smiled sheepishly, "arigato Viola-san."

"It's quite alright," the woman replied, an amused look on her face. She handed the gray-haired woman the phone and got up off the desk, walking over to Natsuki.

"He said he liked your voice?" Natsuki smirked, attempting to make a smooth recovery.

"It's a shame it wasn't actually my voice," the woman replied—an accent that Natsuki could only describe as 'seductive' suddenly surfacing.

Natsuki looked at her, meeting her eyes questioningly. So that was it. The woman was compensating for an accent. "Go undercover in Kyoto a little too long?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

The woman laughed, stepping a little too close for Natsuki's comfort. "Ara, how perceptive of you. I was born in Kyoto, but I moved here nine years ago."

Natsuki nodded, her face heating up once more. "W..well, why go to all the trouble?" she asked, gesturing to the phone.

"Did you forget your training so soon?" the woman replied teasingly. "Voice recognition is one of the main methods used in identification."

"I..I knew that!" Natsuki replied defensively, her face flushing.

"I'm sure you did," the brown-haired woman smiled, holding out her hand. "Agent Viola Shizuru. I presume today is your first day?" Shizuru, of course, never truly presumed anything. There were 67 agents working at Garderobe, and she knew all of their names and faces by memory.

Natsuki shook her hand reluctantly, her eyes fluttering up to meet Shizuru's as their hands touched.

Shizuru smiled softly, studying Natsuki's eyes with interest. _"__What a breathtaking shade of green," _she thought to herself. Her gaze trailed down to the other woman's lips, which were currently pursed together in a small frown. She let go of Natsuki's hand, allowing her palm and fingertips to graze those of the other woman subtly as she pulled away. She gauged the other woman's reaction carefully, feeling her own heartbeat race faster before she got it back under control.

"Yeah, I just got transferred," Natsuki answered, clearing her suddenly-dry throat. She took a small step back, turning to face the door then back at Shizuru. "It's nice to meet you," she said quickly, trying to sound as if she didn't really care. She _really_ didn't like the effect this woman was having on her.

"The honor is mine," Shizuru replied quickly, startled by Natsuki's sudden change in attitude. She paused for a second, watching an annoyed look flash on the navy-haired woman's face. "Are you here for basic training?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

Natsuki's eyes widened as she crossed her arms. "Excuse me?" she replied, taken back. _Did she really just say that? _

"I could show you where to go," Shizuru offered. She didn't know why, but she felt oddly off-balance talking to the shorter woman. It was a strange reversal of roles for her. Usually it was _her_ attention that was demanded, not the other way around.

"I'm _not_ in basic," Natsuki replied firmly, glaring at Shizuru, "I'm an Elite." _Who the hell does this woman think she is? Do I look eighteen? _

Shizuru's eyes would have widened quite dramatically if she hadn't been specifically trained to remain calm at all times. "K...Kruger, Natsuki?" She said quickly, thinking there was no way this woman was their new transferred Elite. Then again, she'd never gotten around to reading her file so it _was_ theoretically possible.

"The one and only," Natsuki replied, raising her eyebrows. "Is there a problem?"

"K..Kanin na, Agent Kruger. I just presumed you were too young to be the new Elite I was informed of," Shizuru met her gaze with a calm smile. _A..ara, that was unfortunate. I seem to have offended__ her. Per__haps, next time, I __should make it a point to at least look up a picture beforehand. _

"I'm twenty-three," Natsuki informed her, not looking amused in the least.

"Really?" Shizuru replied, smiling. "It seems we're not far apart then, I'm twenty-four."

Natsuki nodded after a moment. "And your ranking, Agent Viola?" she asked, a small smirk on her face. She liked the idea of being higher ranked than Shizuru, and since she was now at the top, it was pretty much guaranteed.

"Elite," Shizuru replied evenly, meeting her smirk with a questioning gaze.

Natsuki's smile faded slightly when she realized they had the same status. _But...she's so young. _Her stomach clenched when she realized that Shizuru's status probably meant that the older woman was a lot better than she was. Natsuki had been promoted to fill an agenda. Shizuru had gotten there all on her own. Natsuki turned back to the door impatiently, as if talking to Shizuru was now an inconvenience to her. "Well, I'm supposed to meet the director, and right now you're making me late," she said quickly.

Shizuru blinked in surprise, though Natsuki was turned too far to see it. How long had it been since someone had been so blunt to her in a conversation? Her face flushed gently before she could stop it.

Natsuki quickly slid her key card into the notch, waiting for it to be pulled through mechanically. She swiped it herself when she realized their system must not be automated. There was a loud beep after a moment. Natsuki glanced down at the light. It was still red. Being more careful this time, she slid her card through slowly. There was another loud beep. She swiped her card once more in frustration, cursing under her breath. Had she not been programmed into the system?

Shizuru bit back a smile as she quickly walked over. "Here, let me show you," she said quietly. "You're used to the automated ones, correct?"

Natsuki blushed, nodding. _"__Nice exit," _she scolded herself, "_Of course it always helps if you can actually __**open**__ the door!"_

Shizuru hid a smile when she saw the younger woman's face turn red. Suddenly everything Natsuki had said to her was forgiven. _This woman is just too adorable to stay mad at for long._

Shizuru took Natsuki's hand in her own, guiding the card over to the scanner.

"It's very specific," Shizuru informed her, taking a step closer so she could reach the scanner.

Natsuki tensed up as the older woman brushed against her arm. She breathed in slowly, unintentionally inhaling Shizuru's enticing scent. Natsuki reflexively inhaled deeper, the smell of freshly brewed tea and a trace of lavender wrapping around her gently.

"It has to do with the coding system they use. You need to swipe perfectly parallel to the door." Shizuru slowly slid the card through, only releasing Natsuki's hand when the light had turned green.

Natsuki pulled her hand away quickly, the prolonged contact making her lose her composure. "W..well, maybe you guys should buy a new system," she quickly snapped, pressing her thumb onto the scanner.

"Perhaps we should," Shizuru replied, her eyes shining with amusement. "_She's so defensive," _Shizuru contemplated to herself. Somehow, it was strangely endearing.

Shizuru studied the blush on the navy-haired woman's cheeks once more. She knew better than to read too much into it. Natsuki was new after all, and the odds of her being physically attracted to women weren't in her favor.

Shizuru took a small step back, studying Natsuki's body language. Her posture suggested she was actually quite relaxed, but Shizuru knew an elite agent would have no problems simulating the stance.

Natsuki opened the door quickly, stepping into the long hallway that lay beyond it. She paused, turning when Shizuru she stepped through after her. Natsuki gave her a questioning look.

"Do you know where to go?" Shizuru asked, wondering if Natsuki had somehow gotten hold of the base schematics.

"I'm sure I can figure it out," Natsuki replied a little too defensively.

"Allow me to assist you," Shizuru said quickly. She took a step into the hallway, holding the door open. "In the interest of saving time," she added casually.

"Oh, Viola-san?!" the gray-haired woman called out, hanging up the phone. She jogged over to them, stopping in front of the door.

Shizuru and Natsuki turned, halfway through the door.

"Marguerite-san is looking for you," the woman informed her, a small smile on her face.

Shizuru let out a soft sigh, though the small smile never left her face. "Ookini. I'm sure she'll find me soon enough."

The charcoal-haired woman grinned, nodding. "Too true." She turned to Natsuki, holding out a hand through the doorway. "Agent Chie Hallard, third class."

"Kruger Natsuki, Elite," Natsuki replied, shaking her hand.

"Y..You're the new Elite?" Chie gaped. "Wow. I..I mean... good for you."

Natsuki smirked. "Arigato."

The phone rang once again. Chie sighed, running a hand through her short hair. "Well, that's my cue to leave. Nice meeting you," she called, jogging back over to the desk.

Natsuki nodded, walking a little down the hallway. She waited for Shizuru, more than a little annoyed that she had no clue where to go. "So, what's with the reception area?" Natsuki asked after a moment.

Shizuru smiled, taking the question as a sign she was being permitted to help. She began to walk slowly down the hallway. Natsuki followed her, waiting for a reply.

"Well, naturally the reception area is mostly for show," Shizuru answered.

Natsuki nodded. They'd had something similar back at Fuuka. "Yeah, but what do you do if someone comes in actually wanting a job? Aren't they going to expect an interview or something?"

"We give them one," Shizuru replied, laughing faintly. "One of our agents, Senoh-san, performs interviews. Hallard-san is responsible for watching the phone lines and managing our website."

"So, you turn everyone down?" Natsuki asked, following Shizuru through a set of double doors. Natsuki inwardly sighed as she stared up the seemingly endless flight of stairs that lay before her. _I guess they don't have elevators either. _

"Of course not," Shizuru replied. "If we feel their skills will be of use, we hire them." She began walking up stairs, not sensing Natsuki's hesitation.

Natsuki's eyes darted down to Shizuru's form-fitting skirt. She forced herself to look away after a moment, her cheeks heating up as she hurried to catch up.

"Y..You hire people off the street?!" Natsuki replied, Shizuru's words finally sinking in. "You're insane!"

Shizuru laughed, shaking her head. "We hire people for our Temp Agency, not for secret service work Kruger-san."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows as they climbed even more stairs. "I don't understand," she said finally.

"Garderobe Temp Agency does exist," Shizuru replied, taking great joy in the younger woman's confusion. "It would simply be too suspicious to turn down everyone who came to us. If a company calls for a worker, Hallard-san simply subcontracts from another agency to find the workers it needs."

"You're kidding me," Natsuki replied. Talk about a thorough cover.

"I assure you, it works quite well." Shizuru smiled, opening the door at the top of the stairs. "It even brings in some money when everything is said and done. And, as I'm sure you've probably noticed, Garderobe lacks proper government funding. The agency helps fill in the gaps."

Natsuki smiled, shaking her head. This was definitely different from Fuuka's Office.

"On another note," Shizuru began, leading Natsuki down another hallway, "you'd be surprised how useful the agency can prove to be."

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked, not following.

"We get placement requests from all over Garderobe," Shizuru replied. "We can place agents wherever we want without anyone suspecting. Last week, we received a request for a secretary in the same building where a suspected member of a terrorist organization is working. One of our highest ranking agents is there now in the secretary's place."

"Nice," Natsuki grinned, unable to stop herself. She had to admit, it was pretty well thought out.

Shizuru laughed lightly, pleased with how well their conversation was going. She stopped in front of the director's office, gesturing to the door. "This is it Agent Kruger."

Natsuki nodded. "Arigato," she replied, her voice going a little rough.

Shizuru smiled, nodding. "I'll see you later then. We'll be working on Arai Hirohito's case together."

Natsuki swallowed hard, nodding quickly once more. She was fairly certain working with Shizuru would be a little... distracting. "Okay," she replied, quickly turning to the door and knocking.

"Come in," a man's voice called from inside.

Natsuki turned back to Shizuru once more, their eyes meeting. Shizuru smiled yet again before turning and walking back down the hallway.

Natsuki watched her walk away, temporarily forgetting all about the director.

Shizuru turned to peek over her shoulder, grinning to herself when she saw Natsuki was still watching her.

Natsuki quickly turned back to the door, her face heating up slightly. She turned the handle and stepped inside, wanting to put as much distance between her and Shizuru as possible.

* * *

**A/N: I really hope you liked it!!! :D Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think!**

**I'll try and have chapter 2 out in a week or so. School is starting up again (*bashes head against wall*) so it'll be harder for me to update as frequently. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone, :D Here's chapter 2...**

**Lol, the document manager wouldn't let me upload me anything for hours (*scowls*). Finally, I had to resort to going into one of the existing documents, wiping it out completely, and pasting this chapter in. Lol, but at least it worked.**

**Thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed last chapter! :D I would also like to thank my far-too modest beta: WouldBeSenpai, :D  
**

**Oh, and for people who've read FANG, xEvilAngel56X has drawn two incredibly cute pictures for it (*fan girl squeal*). :D So I'd really like to say thank you to her as well! You can get to the pictures by linking through her profile and onto her deviantart page. :D (**.net/u/1655955/xEvilAngel56x)

**Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!!! Please review! :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter #2: Getting up to Speed**

Natsuki glanced around the small office. It was nowhere near as large as the director's at Fuuka. Her gaze quickly fell on a blond-haired man, who stood up quickly in acknowledgement.

"Agent Kruger," the handsome man nodded. He pushed his chair back; the wheels squeaking noisily on the worn carpet. "Director Sergey Wong," he introduced himself. He walked over to Natsuki, holding out his hand. "Welcome to Garderobe."

Natsuki shook his hand, surprised by the kind gesture. "Arigato, sir," she replied.

The director walked back around the desk and took a seat. He gestured to the chair on Natsuki's side, and she sat down as well.

Reflexively, Natsuki carefully studied the room. She took in the arrangement of files on the director's desk, as well as the small plant to the side that was in serious need of watering. Her gaze fell on a small framed picture on the wall to her left. There was a small, blue-haired girl in the picture. Beside her was a younger version of the director. Natsuki turned back to him after a moment, her eyes shifting down quickly to his left hand. There was no ring or tan line, which suggested that he wasn't married. That didn't rule out the girl being his daughter, but it did seem unlikely. _Maybe she's his niece? _

The director cleared his throat, an obvious attempt to command Natsuki's attention. Natsuki met his eyes calmly, waiting for him to begin.

"I've read your file quite thoroughly," the director began, "and I have to say I'm quite pleased you've been assigned to work with us."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows slightly. "_Well that's certainly a change," _she thought to herself.

"You're performance records are second only to an agent of our own," Sergey informed her. He paused, a small smile on his face. "Then again, Agent Viola certainly seems to be an exceptional case."

Natsuki shifted slightly in her chair-- a reaction to the familiar name. _"Great," _Natsuki told herself sarcastically. "_So she is better than I am." _Her stomach knotted as she recalled the woman's seemingly flawless face. _"Well," _Natsuki promised herself,_ "that's not going to be the case for long." _Natsuki was, after all, an Elite agent now. With the extra case load, she'd have more time to improve.

"I realize Fuuka has quite a few more agents at their disposal than Garderobe, so things may be done a little differently here. _ I_ will be responsible for handing out your assignments, Agent Kruger. You will report directly to _me_," the director informed her. He clasped his hands together on his lap, his posture relaxed. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Natsuki nodded. A _little_ differently? She barely even knew her old director's name. The idea of getting her cases from someone so high up made Natsuki a little uneasy.

"As I'm sure you're aware, you will begin work immediately on the Foreign Affairs case. Garderobe's three other Elite agents will be working along side you."

Natsuki nodded, already painfully aware that she was working with Shizuru.

"Unfortunately, I don't have time to go into details about the case," the director continued, "I'm sure your fellow agents will debrief you quite thoroughly."

"I understand, sir," Natsuki replied. She stayed sitting, unsure if she was being dismissed. She decided she wasn't when the director flipped open a folder in front of him.

"Your medical file looks...impressive," Sergey continued, his eyes scanning the open file in from of him.

Natsuki raised her eyebrows slightly, a small smirk forming on her face when she saw the director read the results of her reflex measurement tests.

The director's eyes widened slightly before he glanced up. "You were cleared for active duty no more than a month ago, so you won't be required to undergo another exam for five months."

Natsuki hid a smile, trying not to let the relief show on her face. The medical exams that agents had to go through weren't exactly considered a perk of the job. They were definitely called full-body exams for a reason.

The director closed the file after a moment. "I recommend having someone show you around on one of your breaks. Feel free to use our gym or shooting range, but make sure you sign out all weapons and return them before you leave."

Natsuki couldn't help but smile when the words left his mouth. From the size of the building, she'd assumed it was another luxury Garderobe wouldn't have. _I'll have to make sure to try it out._

The director glanced down at his watch before looking back up. "I'm afraid that's all we have time to discus Agent Kruger. If you have any questions I'm sure your case partners will be happy to answer them for you." Sergey stood up and started to walk around the desk.

Natsuki got up quickly, walking over to the door. She was a little startled when the director held it open for her.

"Arigato, sir," she said evenly, stepping through.

The director nodded, a small smile on his face. "I believe Agent Viola said she would be in briefing room C. It's on the second floor, room 28," he told Natsuki. "Good luck, Agent Kruger."

"Arigato," Natsuki repeated. She turned, walking over to the stair entrance. There was a faint click from behind her as the door closed. Natsuki paused, turning back to the door for a moment. The director was a lot different from what she'd expected. _"I like him," _Natsuki decided after a moment.

"Lost Agent Kruger?" a taunting voice called out.

Natsuki quickly turned towards the red-haired woman walking over to her. She hadn't heard her walk up.

"Who are you?" Natsuki asked, crossing her arms. She didn't like the tone in the other woman's voice. If this woman knew her name, surely she knew her ranking as Elite too. No one lower ranked would talk to an Elite agent like that. Natsuki waited for the shorter woman to reach her, shifting her weight so she stood up a little straighter.

The red-haired woman studied her stance, smirking slightly to herself. "Agent Nao Zhang, we're on the same case."

"Lovely," Natsuki muttered sarcastically. She raised her eyebrows when Nao's smirk widened.

Nao nodded approvingly. Natsuki certainly seemed to be an interesting addition to the team. "I see you live up to your reputation." Nao held up the folder she was holding, waving it in the air. She'd just finished reading the reports about Natsuki's ill-temper.

"I see you're working hard to make one of your own," Natsuki countered, allowing a small smirk to play across her face. _ How did she get my file?_

"Ouch," Nao smirked, "nice to meet you too."

The corners of Natsuki's mouth turned up in a small smile. She wordlessly walked over to the stair entrance, opened the door, and started down. She didn't wait for Nao to catch up.

When she got to the second level, she opened the doors and turned to the right. She was fairly sure it was the right way judging from the third floor room numbers.

"Wrong way Kruger-san," Nao called out behind her, a sly smile on her face.

Natsuki hesitated, turning her head slightly to the side. She looked down the way she'd been walking, her eyes resting quickly on room 28. "Is that any way to treat your new case partner?" Natsuki asked, smirking.

Nao grinned, following behind her. She shrugged after a moment. It was worth a shot.

Natsuki paused at the door; the realization that Shizuru was on the other side sinking in. She knew that she would have to do her best to remain calm. Shizuru was no doubt skilled in reading body language. If her attraction was too obvious she would realize that Natsuki was gay. Attraction to a fellow agent was usually permitted, but attraction to another woman was an entirely different story.

Her eyes drifted over to the women's washroom a few doors down. It would probably be a good idea to collect herself before going in. Nao paused beside her, giving her a questioning look. Natsuki glanced back to the briefing room before taking her hand slowly off of the handle.

"I'll be there in a moment," Natsuki told her, the tone in her voice leaving no room for questions. She turned and walked over to the washroom, careful to keep up her confident appearance. She stepped inside; a quick scan of the bathroom confirmed that it was empty.

Natsuki let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She glanced up at the mirror, locking eyes with the green ones in front of her. Natsuki straightened her jacket before walking over to the sink. She turned the tap handle until a thin stream of water ran down, grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser to her left. She wet it slightly, wiping down her face.

"_This is it then," _Natsuki told herself. She wiped her face dry before walking back over to the door. She paused by the doorway, thinking to herself. This was her first case at Garderobe. She'd been specifically requested to help solve this case. The director would—no doubt—expect results.

The sound of laughter snapped her out of her train of thought. Natsuki leaned against the wall, the sound of the footsteps outside telling her there was a man and woman walking past the door.

"Hey, I'm just glad Idon't have to work with her," the man laughed. "Have fun."

The woman scoffed loud enough for Natsuki to hear. Her footsteps got closer. "Why do _you_ care? Last time I checked Teijo, you were definitely not a woman."

"True," the man replied, his deep voice filled with amusement. "That still doesn't mean I want to work with a lesbian."

Natsuki's fists clenched, her breath catching. Her heart raced involuntarily as her cheeks flushed in a mixture of shock and anger.

"You think I do?" the woman asked angrily. "I never signed up to work with a hentai."

Natsuki stood, unable to breathe as the two people passed the bathroom door. Her hand curled around the door handle, her knuckles white from the pressure she was applying. Were they talking about her? "_W..Who else would they be talking about?!" _Natsuki asked herself furiously. She ripped open the door, eyes filled with rage. _How the hell did they find out!?_

Natsuki slammed the door behind her, pausing when she saw the woman and man turn the corner. They disappeared from view quickly. Natsuki struggled to stop herself from going after them. "_It... it's __**not**__ worth it," _Natsuki told herself. _"You can't afford to get into another fight." _She inhaled slowly, her mouth clamped shut in a tight, thin line.

"_How did they find out?" _Natsuki asked herself once more. She ran a hand through her long hair, brushing it back from her face. No... there was no way they could have possibly known. Was there? Natsuki mentally retraced her steps, pausing when her mind drifted back to Shizuru. She dismissed the thought after a moment. There was no way she had been _that_ obvious. She took another deep breath, forcing her muscles to relax. _Just calm down Natsuki. There's no way they could be talking about you.  
_

Natsuki knew it really shouldn't matter who they were talking about. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel relieved. If word got out that she was a homosexual, it would be _her_ that the other agents would be calling a 'hentai' next time.

A door down the hallway started to open. Natsuki quickly walked over to room 28, opening the door before she could change her mind.

She stepped quickly into the room, pausing as the door closed behind her. She started to look around, ready to memorize the details with extreme precision. Instead, Natsuki found herself staring at the brown-haired woman seated across the table from her. She was bent over a folder with an intrigued look on her face.

Shizuru looked up, closing the folder when she saw Natsuki standing in the doorway. She studied the younger woman's face, almost as if sensing something was wrong. _Is she alright?_

"Agent Viola," Natsuki nodded, swallowing hard.

"Agent Kruger," Shizuru nodded back, a smile working it's way onto her flawless face, "I'm glad you could join us." Shizuru's focus shifted from the younger woman's face to her slightly-stiff posture. "_Perhaps she's simply nervous," _Shizuru rationalized.

"...Finally," Nao added, a small smirk on her face.

Natsuki looked away quickly, startled to realize Nao and a man she didn't recognize were in the room too. Natsuki eyed the only empty chair wearily. It was right next to Shizuru.

"Please, sit down," Shizuru offered, her red eyes glancing at the chair to her right.

Natsuki walked over wordlessly. She slid the chair back, careful to pull it farther to the right as she did. A little extra distance between her and Shizuru wasn't going to hurt. She could feel Shizuru watching her as she sat. The very thought made her heart race faster.

Shizuru noticed the younger woman move the chair farther away, despite the other agent's attempt at subtly. Rationally, Shizuru knew the movement probably meant nothing. Irrationally, however, she couldn't help but feel offended. _Is she still upset with me?_

Natsuki pulled her chair close to the table, looking up when there was sudden movement from the end across from her.

"Agent Masashi Takeda," the black-haired man introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kruger-san." He stood up, straightening his suit jacket before reaching a hand across the table.

Nao stretched sleepily before grabbing the file from Shizuru. She flipped open the folder, wanting a better look at it before they got down to business.

Natsuki shook Takeda's hand, a little startled by the force he used. He stared down at her, still holding firmly onto her hand.

Shizuru watched wordlessly, her stomach clenching with anger. Takeda looked at the younger woman with nothing but desire. He made no attempt to hide the hungry look in his eyes. Shizuru remained silent, forcing herself to stare down at the table. _"You've only just met her. You have no right to get so possessive," _Shizuru scolded herself._ "Na... Agent Kruger is first and foremost your co-worker, and you are both here to solve a case."_

"_This is the part where you let go," _Natsuki thought to herself as she raised her eyebrows. Her attention shifted from their joined hands to meet the man's face. _W..what is he staring... _Natsuki's eyes widened slightly when she followed his gaze to the low-cut neck of her jacket.

Furiously, Natsuki's thumb found the inside of his wrist, applying just enough pressure to the right spot to get the desired response. Natsuki looked up, her green eyes subtly threating. Takeda's eyes met hers, a look of mild shock on his face when he quickly released his grip.

"H..Have we met before?" he asked, his face flushing slightly.

"I _really_ don't think so," Natsuki replied. _What... does my chest look familiar? Hentai._

"Are you sure you've never been here before?" he pushed, a look on his face like he was struggling to remember something. "You just... you seem familiar to me."

"I can assure you, she has not," Shizuru cut in calmly. She turned to Natsuki, meeting the navy-haired woman's eyes with her own. "I would have trouble forgetting a face like hers."

Natsuki blinked, startled by the comment. _Did... did she really just say that? _Her cheeks flushed quickly as her mind processed what Shizuru had just said. _Does that mean..._

Shizuru studied the look of shock on the younger woman's face. _Perhaps that was too forward._ "I'm very well trained in identification," she added quickly, addressing Natsuki. "Forgetting a face is a rare occurrence."

"O..oh," Natsuki stuttered. She inhaled slowly, her disappointment sinking in. "_Baka," _she scolded herself. _ "What else would she have meant?"_

The sound of quiet snickering broke up the tense atmosphere. Natsuki turned, a glare already displayed on her face, in the direction of the laughter.

Nao looked up from the folder, laughing uncontrollably. The look on Natsuki's face only made her laugh harder.

Shizuru turned to look at the red-haired woman, regarding her with a questioning look.

Nao wordlessly handed Shizuru the file, pointing to a specific area of the page.

Shizuru turned the file, eyes scanning the section Nao had highlighted. She glanced briefly at the results to Natsuki's last endurance test, before moving onto the comments from the medical practitioner just underneath. _Agent Kruger demonstrates incredible endurance, her results averaging above the hundredth percentile._

Her eyes widened slightly before she glanced back up. "Ara, how impressive."

"Agent Kruger's got some serious stamina," Nao grinned slightly. "It's actually written underneath she can go for _hours_ on end."

Takeda choked, quickly clearing his throat to cover it up.

Shizuru raised one of her eyebrows suggestively, her face heating up slightly at the thought. She turned to Natsuki, her red eyes sparkling with joy when she saw the look on the other woman's face.

Natsuki's mouth fell open, the shock throwing what little composure she had left out the window. Her face flushed uncontrollably. "It says I can _run_**, **Agent Zhang. _Run_ for hours on end," she snapped, ripping the folder away from Shizuru.

"Of course," Shizuru replied like it was obvious. She locked eyes with Natsuki. The look on her face was serious, but her eyes shone with unconcealed amusement.

Natsuki's face warmed up even more. Angrily, she lifted up the folder in her hand, her eyes never leaving Shizuru's. "For the record, this is _my_ file. I'd appreciate it if you didn't go investigating me like I was a highly-ranked suspect."

Nao leaned back in her chair, a satisfied smirk on her face.

Shizuru stared at Natsuki, startled by the unrestrained look of anger directed towards her. For a moment her neutral expression wavered, shocking Shizuru as much as Natsuki. The brown-haired woman cleared her throat softly, turning back to the table. When she spoke again her voice was as smooth as silk: "Perhaps we should begin getting you up to speed, Agent Kruger." She paused for a moment. "Masashi-san?"

Takeda stood up, walking to the front of the room. He opened his folder, taking out a large picture and clipping it onto the back-lit wall.

Shizuru and Nao picked up identical folders from the center of the table. Shizuru reached out to hand Natsuki hers, but the look Natsuki gave her made her pull back. Natsuki stood up slightly, grabbing the folder for herself.

She flipped it open, taking out an identical picture. Natsuki immediately recognized him. His face had been plastered all over every news report since Wednesday.

"This is Arai Hirohito, age 48," Takeda began. "He was elected Minister of Foreign Affairs at the start of this year by Garderobe's council. His term focused mainly on political relationships with Garderobe's closest neighbors, Aries and Artai." He took another picture out from his folder. "While his position required him to frequently travel, most of his time was spent in Garderobe's Foreign Affairs Office." Takeda clipped the picture of the large building onto the wall.

Natsuki glanced up at the picture. The building was familiar to her as well.

"Arai's term was cut short on Tuesday night. Reports of gunfire were called in by people from the surrounding buildings. When police investigated, they found Arai dead in his office," Takeda told Natsuki. He took out another picture, wincing slightly as he clipped it to the board. "Police questioned the callers, but no one claims to have seen anything."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows slightly. It was one of the close-up photos of Arai's body. She studied the entry wound where the bullet had penetrated his skull. The man's upper body was draped over his desk, suggesting he had been sitting at the time of his death. _I certainly didn't see that one on the news._

Shizuru turned, studying the younger woman's face. She didn't seem nearly as affected by the picture as Takeda was.

Natsuki flipped through her folder, pausing when she couldn't find what she was looking for. "The police had their ballistics department work on it?" Natsuki cut in.

"Yes, they did," Nao replied, yawning. She slid a small booklet across the table.

Natsuki picked it up, well aware that the other three agents were watching her as she scanned the page. "The gun was discarded at the scene?" Natsuki asked. "That's unusual." She turned to Shizuru, a doubtful look on her face. "And you're sure it was the right one?"

Shizuru perceived her stare as an unvoiced challenge. She smiled slightly. She should have known Natsuki's first move would be to double-check everything.

"The ballistics report assures us that the gun that was found is the one that was fired," Shizuru replied.

Natsuki glanced down at her sheet once more. "A Desert Eagle?" she clarified. "An Israeli-American weapon." Natsuki had seen them before, but she'd never fired one. As far as she knew, they were designed almost solely for hunting.

"That is correct," Shizuru nodded. "The manufacturer's label was found on the weapon."

Takeda, sensing he was no longer needed, sat back down again. Nao scooted her chair in to let him pass.

"And you requested a list of all buyers in the past five years?" Natsuki asked, once again directing the question toward Shizuru.

"Of course," Shizuru answered, leaning forward on the desk.

"There were over five thousand sold," Nao cut in, smirking. "You can go through them personally if you want, Agent Kruger."

Natsuki ignored the comment. "How many of the buyers live in Japan? It's so hard to get a license, there shouldn't be that many."

"One hundred and seventeen," Shizuru replied, not missing a beat.

Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but Shizuru cut her off.

"Allow me," Shizuru offered, knowing where Natsuki was headed. Natsuki paused, a little annoyed. Shizuru crossed her legs carefully, smoothing out her skirt. Natsuki's eyes followed the movement, trailing slowly up the older woman's smooth legs.

"We assigned one of our level-three agents to run a search on the results," Shizuru began. "Out of the one hundred and seventeen buyers, none of them currently live in Garderobe or the surrounding area. I ordered the search extended to the last _ten_ years, but it yielded the same results. I also had background searches run on all buyers living in Japan, but our agents can't tie any of them to the Foreign Affairs Minister."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows, annoyed that she couldn't think of anything else to ask. "So it was probably brought over illegally," Natsuki said finally. She sighed after a moment. "Great."

"Does my information satisfy you, Agent Kruger?" Shizuru asked, a small smile playing across her face.

"For now," Natsuki replied, leaning back in her chair.

"Are you quite sure?" Shizuru asked playfully.

"For now," Natsuki repeated firmly, not bothering to mask the annoyance in her voice. She blushed faintly when Shizuru's smile widened.

"I'm glad," Shizuru replied. She studied the way Natsuki's cheeks tinted lightly, her heart racing faster. She felt an odd sense of pride over the fact that she'd been the cause.

Nao's eyes widened slightly. She exchanged a look with Takeda. "Well aren't we all destined to be the best of friends?" she muttered sarcastically.

Takeda cleared his throat, leaning in toward Natsuki. "The employee log book shows that Arai was the last one in the office. Everyone else signed out hours before the approximated time of death."

Natsuki opened her mouth to ask for clarification.

"Eight o'clock at night," Shizuru answered smoothly before she had time to ask, "give or take a half hour."

Natsuki closed her mouth slowly, turning to face the brown-haired woman. She crossed her arms for effect. _What the hell? Am I not allowed to talk?_

Shizuru was unable to suppress a smile when she saw the result. _She really is just too adorable for words._

"Video cameras in the office were fully functional, but the system itself is extremely outdated," Nao chipped in. "Whatever was recorded was stolen from the security office. The lock was blown right off the door, and—naturally—the tapes remain unaccounted for."

Natsuki managed to stop herself from groaning. "The system doesn't back up recent files onto a temporary server?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Nao grinned, shaking her head.

Natsuki sighed. That certainly made their job a lot harder. "I hope they're installing a new system," she said sarcastically after a moment. "Any cameras in the surrounding area?"

"There was a gas station a few buildings away," Shizuru replied. "The tapes arrived today, but I doubt the camera angles will prove to be of much use."

"And I'm guessing there were no prints?" Natsuki clarified. "On the gun and in the room."

Shizuru shook her head. "Only employees' prints in the room and on the door. The gun itself was remarkably clean."

"Wouldn't the security guard be responsible for locking up?" Natsuki asked. "Why wasn't he there?"

"I had a similar thought," Shizuru smiled. "However, we've been over the police interviews with all the employees. The security guard claims he was given permission to leave. Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for Arai to work late. He usually locked up the main doors himself."

"And we believe this?" Natsuki asked skeptically.

"Other employees have confirmed this," Shizuru laughed, "we have no reason not to. The keys to the main entrance were found among his possessions."

Natsuki opened her mouth to reply, but Shizuru raised her hand as if to stop her.

"There's something else you may find intriguing Kruger-san," she said quickly. "You may have heard about the trade agreement Garderobe was forming with Aries. Masashi-san has been working on the details." Shizuru turned to Takeda expectantly.

Takeda nodded, looking a little surprised to be called on. "Arai was pushing to sign a trade agreement with Aries for the importation of Aries and Garderobe merchandise. Apparently, he saw it as a big step towards economic integration for Garderobe. Two weeks ago, Arai attended a summit meeting to propose his ideas. It got quite a bit of news coverage, but not everyone was as happy about it as he was."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows. "What makes you say that?"

"Arai received a series of threatening letters after the summit meeting," Takeda replied, a small smile on his face.

Shizuru sighed in mild annoyance to herself. Clearly the black-haired man planned to impress Natsuki with his 'thorough' understanding of Garderobe's trade agreements.

"That does sound interesting," Natsuki replied, a smile forming on her face. _Now we're getting somewhere._

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. _Was_ Natsuki impressed? She felt a vaguely familiar feeling wash over her. She hadn't felt it in so long that it was almost foreign to her. "_Jealousy?" _Shizuru asked herself. _ "Isn't it a bit soon for that?" _Nevertheless, the sensation was quite undeniable. Shizuru studied the younger woman beside her, the feeling growing quite uncontrollably. She forced herself to look away, her focus shifting to the picture clipped on the wall. _This really is the last thing I should be thinking about right now._

"Why did they get so upset?" Natsuki asked Takeda.

Shizuru studied the way the navy-haired woman was leaning in toward him. It was most-likely an indication of interest. But was she interested in his answer or the handsome agent himself?

Takeda leaned in, mimicking Natsuki's posture. "A trade agreement would be beneficial to large companies in both Garderobe and Aries. Lower taxes on merchandise means it costs less to get their products out onto shelves. And with two main locations of venue, they're almost guaranteed an increase in sales." He paused for a moment, as if to create suspense.

Natsuki locked eyes with him, waiting for him to continue.

Shizuru watched Takeda's face flush lightly. She couldn't help but feel angry. Takeda was quite popular with women in general, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Natsuki did find him attractive. His strong build and handsome features gave him quite a lead on other men. In fact, she could have sworn she'd heard from Chie that he was seeing one of her co-workers. So why was he persistently trying to get Natsuki's attention?

"So large companies would find the agreement most beneficial," Takeda continued. "It's the small, independent companies who are left to take the fall. If the company is too small to expand, this agreement doesn't help. In fact, they'd not only have to deal with competition from Garderobe's large corporations, they would have to deal with all the big names from Aries."

Nao grinned, shifting in her chair. "So you see boys and girls, size really _does_ matter."

Natsuki blinked for a moment, turning to Shizuru. Shizuru met her gaze, a small smile creeping onto her face. Natsuki was unable to stop herself from smiling back—if only briefly.

"Thank you for that insight, Agent Zhang," Shizuru replied calmly, her eyes never leaving Natsuki's. "So you see Kruger-san, the case itself is quite complicated."

"What? You think one of the smaller companies decided that they hated him so much that they wanted him dead?" Natsuki asked Shizuru, a disbelieving tone in her voice. "That's a little extreme, don't you think?"

"Not for Garderobe," Nao laughed. "You should see some of the stuff we've had to deal with before. And Aries and Garderobe haven't exactly always been the best of friends."

"So you have no idea where any of the letters came from?" Natsuki asked. "Or when they were received?"

"There were four sent in total," Shizuru replied. "All of them no more than two days before Arai was found dead."

"And this doesn't strike you as odd?" Natsuki asked, giving Shizuru a questioning look. "They ask him to drop the trade agreement, but they don't give him time to?"

"I _did_ notice, Agent Kruger," Shizuru replied calmly. "And yes, it does seem quite peculiar."

"Were you planning on showing me the letters sometime today?" Natsuki asked impatiently, ignoring her reply.

Shizuru paused, taken aback once again by the younger woman's mannerisms. "That depends," she replied evenly. She leaned over, picking up Natsuki's folder. She flipped it open to the page she was looking for before setting it back down. "Were you really planning not to open your folder at all?"

Natsuki blushed, glancing down at the first letter in front of her. _Nice one Natsuki. Of course she would make copies. _

"W..were these all mailed?" She asked, trying to recover quickly.

"Yes," Shizuru answered. "And no, Agent Kruger, the envelopes were not licked. They were sealed with an adhesive and the senders left no prints."

Natsuki's blush intensified with her glare. "They were all sent from different people?" she asked, her eyes meeting Shizuru's defiantly.

"Different organizations," Shizuru replied. "All of them untraceable."

"What if they're fake?" Natsuki asked, glancing down at the first letter. "Who says these organizations even exist? The envelopes could tell us if they came from different places."

"It seems we think alike Agent Kruger," Shizuru replied, a small smile on her face. "I had the envelopes sent off for chemical analysis this morning." She couldn't help but be impressed. The idea had only occurred to her after working the case for three days.

Natsuki inwardly groaned. Eventually she'd think of something Shizuru hadn't already covered.

"Uh, what?" Nao asked, raising her hand to cut in. It was the first she'd heard of it. "Why exactly did we do this?" She looked from Shizuru to Natsuki, her confusion evident.

Natsuki sighed. "It's extremely improbable all four companies used the same type of glue. If the results show all the glue was the same, chances are the letters were faked by one group of people."

"Exactly," Shizuru replied, a small smile on her face. She turned back to Natsuki, studying the woman intently. "_She's very good at her job," _Shizuru admitted. _"Perhaps better than me."_

"How long until we get results?" Natsuki asked. She knew Garderobe had a lot fewer agents than Fuuka. It would probably take longer to get a solid analysis.

"We should have them in a few hours," Shizuru answered. "Helene-san is quite proficient at what she does."

"Why don't we watch the tapes while Kruger-san goes through what we have?" Takeda asked. He turned to Shizuru, as if requesting her approval.

"As you wish," Shizuru nodded. She stood up so she could reach the middle of the large table. She picked up a gray-colored binder before walking over to Natsuki.

"These are my case notes Agent Kruger," Shizuru said softly. She set the binder down, leaning over the navy-haired woman to reach the table in front of her. Her arm brushed against Natsuki's softly, making the younger woman involuntarily tense up.

Natsuki held as still as she could, struggling to breathe when Shizuru put her hand gently on her shoulder.

"You now have everything I know," Shizuru breathed, her words painfully soft. She leaned in, her hand rubbing gently against Natsuki's jacket as she did. Slowly, she lowered her face by Natsuki's ear. "Now, let's see if you can tell us something that I can't."

Natsuki stifled a gasp when Shizuru's warm breath caressed her cheek. She nodded wordlessly, not trusting herself to speak. She stared from the binder in front of her to Takeda, her heart racing when she realized he was watching her. "_He..he's going to know," _her mind yelled warningly. Natsuki couldn't help but think back to the conversation she'd overheard. She rolled her shoulder back quickly, shaking Shizuru's hand off. She scowled slightly, feigning annoyance.

Shizuru winced, pulling her arm back quickly. She couldn't help but feel like she'd just been rejected. Without speaking, she sat back down in her chair.

Takeda stood up, grabbing one of the tapes from the table. He walked over to the television in the corner, rolling it up to the front of the room.

Natsuki felt her face begin to cool down. She swallowed painfully, her mouth suddenly dry. She picked up the binder from off of the table, flipped it open, and began to read.

_

* * *

_

Nao groaned suddenly, her head rolling back in complete exasperation.

"Is something wrong Zhang-san?" Shizuru asked, her attention shifting from the TV to the red-haired agent.

"We have just watched the same thirty-two people fill up on gas from _three_ different angles," Nao snapped. "In my book, things don't get any more wrong than that."

Natsuki smirked, looking up from the binder. It was her second time rereading everything.

"We're almost finished," Shizuru replied, sounding faintly amused. She focused her attention back to the screen. Takeda paused the image, giving Shizuru time to take down the license plate of one of the cars driving past.

"Oh look," Nao announced, "it's my favorite part." She perked up a little, watching the screen in anticipation.

Natsuki glanced up once more, studying the black and white video. After a moment, her attention was drawn to a man in a long trench coat off to the side of the screen. The man jumped back suddenly, his tank overflowing.

Nao smirked with satisfaction, making Natsuki grin. She watched as the man reached down, trying desperately to get some of the gas off his shoe. _Baka._

Shizuru gave a small sigh as Takeda paused the tape once more. It certainly was getting a little tedious.

Natsuki looked back down at the binder, flipping to the end where Shizuru had written down her ideas. She had written everything out so it was incredibly easy to follow. Her train of thought was logical and concise, drawing conclusions Natsuki couldn't help but agree with. "_She is good," _Natsuki told herself, a pang of jealously hitting her. It wasn't any wonder Shizuru's performance ranking was higher than hers.

Natsuki studied the writing, momentarily ignoring the words entirely. Shizuru's writing was flawless, no doubt the neatest writing Natsuki had ever seen. She lifted her hand up, her fingers lightly tracing over the words on the page. She glanced up after a moment, stealing a glance towards the brown-haired woman.

The TV suddenly went blue as Takeda pressed 'stop'. Natsuki jerked her fingers away from Shizuru's elegant handwriting.

"That's it," he announced, the relief evident in his voice. "How many did we get?"

"Sixty-three different cars," Shizuru replied. "The chances of one of them belonging to an employee are slim at best."

"I have a question, Agent Viola," Natsuki announced, closing the binder quickly.

Shizuru turned to look at her, folding the notepad she was holding closed. "Of course," she replied, giving Natsuki a small nod.

Natsuki hesitated, uncomfortable under the older woman's gaze. "I um... I see you noticed there was no forced entry to the exterior door." She looked down at the closed binder, unable to meet the intensity of Shizuru's gaze. "The alarm didn't go off because it was disabled."

"That is correct," Shizuru nodded. "Do you have something to add?"

Natsuki looked up at Takeda, then over to Nao. "Am I the only one who thinks there's a _very_ good chance that there was an employee involved?"

Shizuru nodded once again. "I believe you may be right Agent Kruger. But we need some other type of proof before we can take the next step."

"What's the next step?" Natsuki asked, eyebrows raised. Had she missed something?

"We need to find enough evidence to suggest that the motive for the murder was personal, or—at the very least—done by someone Arai knew," Shizuru explained. "If we can find something to back up our theory by Wednesday, I'm confident that we can get authorization from the director to proceed with our plan." Shizuru paused, letting what she had said sink in before continuing. "As far as we know, the murder may have something to do with the upcoming trade agreement. The Foreign Affairs Office has no choice but to reopen as soon as possible. The Foreign Affairs Aide, hand picked by Arai, will have to take over his duties. He has no choice but to proceed with the agreement."

"You think he's in danger?" Natsuki asked, her mind going over the seemingly endless possibilities. "We don't even have a definite motive yet. There's no way to prove that."

"Not yet," Shizuru sighed. "Though if you flip to the end of my notes you'll find my concerns outlined."

"What, about the council's next choice for Foreign Affairs Minister?" Natsuki asked, not having to look. "I don't see what that has to do with this."

"No?" Shizuru asked, a small smile on her face. "The Foreign Affairs Aide has no choice but to continue with Arai's plans. He will remain in office for the rest of Arai's term. Unless, of course, something were to happen to him."

"You know, something small—like getting shot in the head," Nao chimed in.

"If he were to be..." Shizuru hesitated, searching for the right word. "..._removed_ from office, Garderobe's council would be forced to elect another Foreign Affairs Minister. The current favorite for the position has spoken out _against_ the planned trade agreement. Without Garderobe's continued consent, the trade agreement will never get passed."

"Oh," Natsuki replied, embarrassed she hadn't made the connection herself.

"If we can find enough evidence to suggest that the murderer has easy access to the Foreign Affairs Aide, we can make a case for planting agents inside," Shizuru explained.

"You want someone to go undercover in the Foreign Affairs Office?" Natsuki asked, glancing around the room. "For how long?"

"Two weeks," Takeda answered. "The trade agreement is signed on the twenty-fourth. If we can keep the Foreign Affairs Aide safe until then, he should be out of direct danger."

"Well, the murderer got in either by using a key or picking the lock," Natsuki stated. "That says that he or she has direct access already."

"True," Shizuru nodded. "However, if I am going to make a strong case to the director I'll need more than that. Director Wong is quite reluctant to make such a strong commitment unless absolutely necessary."

"We could go over employee interviews once again," Takeda offered. "Kruger-san might find something we've missed." He turned to Natsuki, his face flushing slightly. "She seems to have an eye for things like this."

Natsuki locked eyes with him, startled. _"Is..is he flirting with me?" _she asked herself. She crossed her arms quickly, hoping the change in body language would subtly let him know she _really_ wasn't interested. When he continued to stare, Natsuki let her annoyance show clearly on her face.

Nao grinned, watching the navy-haired woman's reaction with interest.

Shizuru's stomach clenched when she processed what Takeda had just said. Surely Natsuki wouldn't be so easily charmed. "We've been working for hours," Shizuru said quickly, trying to bring Natsuki's attention back to her alone. "Perhaps we should consider getting something to eat."

"Thank God," Nao exclaimed, getting up without hesitation. "Let's get out of here."

"Where?" Natsuki asked, watching Takeda get up as well. She made no move to join them.

"There's a small restaurant around the corner we usually go to," Shizuru replied. She took a slow breath, meeting Natsuki's eyes. She smiled slightly, the look in her eyes inviting. "I would love for you to join us, Kruger-san."

Natsuki froze, her face heating up as she met the older woman's eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, though she wasn't sure what to say. She'd been planing on working through her lunch break. There had to be something she was missing. "I.. I think I'll stay behind," Natsuki stuttered. "I um... I just want to go over this a few more times."

Shizuru regarded her curiously. _She's so hard working. _She couldn't help but admire the younger woman. Shizuru watched as Natsuki picked up the binder once more, beginning to read. The determined look on her face was nothing short of captivating.

"In that case, I'll join you," Shizuru stated after a moment. Maybe without the other agents around, Natsuki would be more open to conversation. "Feel free to go on without us," she told Nao and Takeda. Silently, she prayed they wouldn't feel compelled to stay.

"W..what?!" Natsuki looked up from the binder, a shocked look on her face. "No, you should go too. A..aren't you hungry?" _Well that completely backfired! _Natsuki gulped, trying to appear perfectly at ease. She was _not_ ready to be alone with Shizuru for long.

"I'm quite alright," Shizuru laughed. "Ookini Agent Kruger."

"Seriously," Natsuki pushed frantically. She refused to let the panic show on her face, but she cursed the way her voice was betraying her. "I..I just wanted to look everything over."

Nao sighed after a moment. This was taking way too long. "Suit yourself," she stated simply. She grabbed Takeda and headed for the door.

"Are you sure?" Takeda asked, the question directed entirely at Natsuki.

"Yeah," Natsuki replied, "I do this all the time." Her stomach growled, but not loudly enough to be audible by anyone other than herself. She gulped, going a little pale. That wasn't going to help her case.

"Alright," Takeda nodded. "Good luck Kruger-san." He allowed Nao to pull him out of the room the rest of the way. The door closed behind them with a menacing thud.

Natsuki hesitated, looking slowly up from the binder. Shizuru smiled slightly when the navy-haired woman looked up at her.

Natsuki swallowed hard, her face faintly flushing. She locked eyes with Shizuru, unable to look away. Shizuru held her gaze for just a little too long. She turned after a moment, walking back to her chair, and sitting down.

"I..I wanted to go through the crime scene photos again," Natsuki said quickly. She was startled when Shizuru got up, moving her chair until it was only a few inches away.

"An excellent idea," Shizuru replied, sitting down. She smiled at Natsuki, picking up the discarded folder. She flipped to the front, holding the first picture out in front of them. "Shall we?"

Natsuki nodded, her mouth going incredibly dry. Shizuru leaned over slightly to give her a better view. Natsuki blushed, her eyes focused on Shizuru's neatly crossed legs instead of the picture in front of her. Quickly, she forced herself to look at the first picture. The Foreign Affairs Minister was lying bent over his desk. There was quite a bit of blood on the table in front of him.

Natsuki squinted, studying the pattern of the blood. It was strange that it was almost all directed to the front of the desk. There was only a little blood on the wall behind him.

"Look at the pattern of the blood," Natsuki muttered, pointing to the desk. "Why is it all extending away from the wall? The only part of the wall that's significantly stained is close to the ground."

"The bullet exited through the lower portion of the back of Arai's head. The force from the impact was quite...substantial," Shizuru replied. "The exit angle forced the blood and cranial tissue down towards the _base_ of the wall."

"Yeah," Natsuki nodded, pointing to the entry mark. "That makes sense. Look at where the bullet entered. Right through the top of his skull, not the forehead or side."

Shizuru nodded, smiling when she saw the look of excitement on the younger agent's face. "What does that tell you Agent Kruger?" she asked. Was Natsuki onto something?

"Even if you're sitting at a desk with someone standing over you, the killer would still have to extend his arm directly above you to shoot you at the same angle," Natsuki replied. "And the report said that the magnitude of the damage indicated the gun was three feet away."

"That's correct," Shizuru replied, the realization hitting her. "Which means the shooter would have had to extend his arm three feet above the victim and pointed the gun straight down to achieve the same angle."

Natsuki grinned, nodding. "But if that were the case, blood would have gone flying in all directions. Look at the top of the back wall. It's almost completely bare."

Shizuru nodded, a similar smile forming on her face. "Which means Arai could not have been sitting up straight when the bullet impacted."

"The only way the blood matches is if his head was bent over," Natsuki finished for her. She leaned over the desk in a similar manner, tilting her head down to look at the desk in demonstration. "The shooter was standing three feet in front of the desk, and Arai was looking down at the time he got shot."

"Interesting observation," Shizuru replied, impressed. "But what does that signify?"

"If someone burst into your office with a gun, what would your first reaction be to do?" Natsuki asked. She turned towards Shizuru, eagerly awaiting her answer.

Shizuru smiled, leaning in slightly. "Ara, what a question."

"Seriously," Natsuki smiled, "what would you do?"

"I'd wait by the door, pin the man against the wall, and press a similar weapon to the back of his head," Shizuru replied. "And then, of course, I would proceed to arrest him."

Natsuki laughed, unable to stop herself. Shizuru smiled, pleased with the reaction. "Okay. Now answer as if you _weren't_ an Elite level agent," Natsuki clarified. Her grin faded slightly as she studied the brown-haired woman's face.

"I suppose I would be quite shocked," Shizuru replied thoughtfully.

"You'd either panic," Natsuki nodded, "and shove back your chair..." She got up, raising her hands in a mock surrender, shoving her chair back in the process. "...or you'd freeze, unable to move."

"You're probably correct," Shizuru smiled. She lifted a hand up, gently pulling Natsuki's hand down from over her head. She lowered it carefully, her heart racing from the contact. She held on a second longer before letting go.

Natsuki blushed, her hand still tingling as Shizuru released it. "S..so," Natsuki cleared her suddenly-dry throat, "your first instinct is definitely _not_ to stare down at your desk."

"What if the weapon was concealed?" Shizuru asked. "Arai may not have seen the gun at all."

"That's true," Natsuki nodded, "but the sign-in sheets said he was alone in his office. Wouldn't you be surprised if you thought you were alone and someone suddenly burst in? Even if you didn't realize they had a gun."

"Yes I would be," Shizuru nodded. "Unless I didn't think I was alone."

"Exactly," Natsuki grinned. "What if one of Arai's employees was still at the office? He or she waits until everyone leaves, walks into the room, and shoots him when he's not even looking."

"Why would his head be bent down if someone else was in the room?" Shizuru frowned. "That seems a little inconsiderate,"

Natsuki hesitated, thinking it over. It _was_ a little rude. Someone with as much status as him would probably be more tactful. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Unless he was used to them coming in all the time," Natsuki replied. She flipped to one of the crime scene photos. "Look at this," she instructed Shizuru, pointing to a close-up shot of his desk. "See the paper on it, the writing just cuts off. What if he was comfortable enough with the murderer to continue writing, even when he or she was in the same room as him? His head would have been bent down, and he would have been staring at the paper."

Shizuru's smile widened. "That's an excellent point. And Arai was working late, was he not? If a non-employee entered his office, he would no doubt have been surprised. However, this suggests he was accustomed to his or her presence in his office."

"Works for me," Natsuki grinned. She turned back to face Shizuru, their eyes meeting once more.

Shizuru smiled softly, lifting her hand to brush a stray hair out of Natsuki's eyes. "Excellent observations Agent Kruger."

Natsuki blushed, painfully aware of how close she was sitting. "Do you think that's enough to get us inside?" she asked, not even considering why she had just allowed Shizuru to touch her so intimately.

"I don't know," Shizuru replied. "There is always the remote possibility that someone ordered Arai to look down at his desk."

"You're saying someone could have paid an assassin to have Arai killed?" Natsuki clarified. "And who ever this person is, he's setting it up to look personal."

"It's possible," Shizuru replied with a sigh. "You know we really can't rule anything out."

"What if we could?" Natsuki asked, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "If I could get us proof this murder wasn't done by a professional, would it be enough?"

"It would certainly be a start," Shizuru replied, smiling. Did Natsuki see something she'd missed?

"Can you take me to your evidence room?" Natsuki asked, a little embarrassed she had to ask for help. "I need to see the murder weapon."

Shizuru nodded, a little taken aback by the request. "Right this way Agent Kruger," she said finally, walking over to the door and holding it open. She led Natsuki down the hall, pausing in front of the double doors at the end.

Natsuki walked in, glancing around the large room. It was lined with shelves full of evidence boxes from cases. Shizuru followed behind her, walking over to the large desk in the corner of the room. Natsuki turned, looking at the two women seated by the desk.

"It's not broken," the first woman protested. She brushed her short, dark-brown hair out of her eyes. She squinted as she examined the red-headed woman's wrist closely. "I'm telling you, it's not even fractured."

"It feels like it's broken," the red-haired woman pouted playfully. "You don't have to be so mean about it Yohko-chan."

"Ara, did something happen Sugiura-san?" Shizuru asked, a small frown on her face.

"It's only a sprain," the brown-haired woman cut in. She ignored the look the red-haired woman gave her, rolling her eyes slightly in exasperation.

The red-haired woman scowled before peeking around Shizuru to get a good look at Natsuki. "Ah, Kruger-san," she announced, getting up from her chair. "I've heard a lot about you." She grinned, walking over to Natsuki and holding out her hand. "Midori Sugiura, third-class agent."

"Hi," Natsuki replied wearily. She presumed that meant she didn't need to introduce herself. She quickly shook the hand that wasn't 'broken'.

Shizuru turned back to Yohko. "Are you almost done with the adhesive results Helene-san?"

The brown-haired woman smiled, handing over a folder. "I was just about to deliver them when I got an _urgent_ page." She turned to Midori, eyebrows raised. Midori grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "The chemical analysis shows all four letters were sealed with the same substance."

"Are you quite sure?" Shizuru replied. She turned to Natsuki, mirroring the smile on her face.

"I ran it two times," Yohko nodded. She handed over the file and started to walk out the door. She paused, turning to Natsuki and Midori. "It's nice to meet you Agent Kruger. I'm Yohko Helene, fourth class. I run the infirmary and perform most of the tests on evidence here."

"Evidence that I courageously guard with my life," Midori nodded proudly. She marched back over to her desk, hopping up onto the ledge.

"Sugiura-san is also responsible for signing out weapons," Shizuru added with a small smile. Midori nodded once again, swinging her legs back and forth over the edge.

"Good luck Agent Viola," Yohko called out. She smiled at Natsuki before walking out of the room and into the hallway.

"So what can I do for you?" Midori asked, hopping off her desk. "You have the Foreign Affairs case right?"

Shizuru nodded. "Agent Kruger would like to see the murder weapon."

"Sure thing," Midori nodded. She walked around to the back of her desk and opened a drawer. When she pulled her hand out, she was holding a large set of keys. Natsuki watched as she walked over to shelf, unlocking a medium-sized box. She reached in, taking out a large plastic bag. Wordlessly, she handed it over to Natsuki.

Natsuki grinned, feeling the weight of the gun. "So this has been fully processed, right?" she asked. "We've gotten everything we can from it?"

"Yep," Midori nodded. "It's all yours. No need to use gloves."

Natsuki nodded her thanks before turning to Shizuru. "Can you show me where the shooting range is?"

Shizuru hesitated for a moment. "Ara, I suppose." Was Natsuki planning on actually using the murder weapon? She led her out of the room and down the hallway.

"Agent Viola," a man smiled as she walked past. "How's the case?"

Shizuru paused, smiling slightly. "I think it's going quite well, ookini for asking."

Natsuki stopped beside her, studying the tall man. She supposed his kind smile made him quite handsome. Then again, she probably wasn't the best judge.

The man grinned, nodding his head a little too emphatically. Natsuki scowled to herself. He was definitely hitting on her. She turned to Shizuru, startled to see her smiling back. Did Shizuru think he was handsome? Natsuki glared at the man slightly, though he didn't seem to notice she was there.

Shizuru turned, her hand resting gently on Natsuki's back. "Shall we?" she asked, pushing gently forward. Natsuki nodded, picking up the pace. They climbed down the flight of stairs and walked down the first floor hallway.

"The gym is just through there," Shizuru informed Natsuki, pointing to a door as they passed.

Natsuki nodded, memorizing it's location. She followed Shizuru through another door and into a small room. Natsuki grinned, walking over and grabbing a set of the noise-canceling earmuffs. She handed a pair to Shizuru, who put them on wordlessly. Natsuki picked up a set of safety glasses and slid them on underneath. Shizuru did the same, a questioning look on her face.

Natsuki quickly opened the door on the other side and stepped through. She glanced around the small shooting range. There were four stalls lined up, but only one of them was occupied.

The sound of the woman's shooting barely made it through the earmuffs. Natsuki watched her from a distance, waiting for her to empty the clip before walking up to a stall. The woman took off her earmuffs, letting her short, teal hair fall down freely. She turned, sensing someone was there.

"Sh..Shizuru," she stuttered, ignoring Natsuki completely.

Natsuki looked from the woman to Shizuru, startled to hear the woman call her by her first name. "_They must be good friends," _she decided. She couldn't help but feel jealous of the teal-haired woman. Still, something about Shizuru's posture suggested otherwise.

Shizuru paused by the doorway, hesitant to walk in. "Marguerite-san." She slid her earmuffs off; Natsuki did the same.

The teal-haired woman's expression changed suddenly, her eyes accusing. She walked over to Shizuru quickly. "Where were you Shizuru? Didn't Hallard-san tell you I've been trying to find you? I thought you would check in with me before you got started."

"I'm afraid I'm quite busy right now," Shizuru said firmly. "Whatever you wish to talk about will have to wait." She walked over to Natsuki, her back turned on the teal-haired woman.

Natsuki saw the look of annoyance on Shizuru's face. It was surprisingly strong for someone so skilled at hiding her emotions. Natsuki turned back to the other woman, finding a similar look displayed on her face. _Maybe they're not friends after all?_

The teal-haired woman walked out after a moment, not looking the least bit pleased. Shizuru didn't look too happy either.

"What was that about?" Natsuki asked Shizuru curiously.

Shizuru smiled, the look of annoyance disappearing completely. "Ara, I wouldn't wish to burden you. Please, proceed with what you were going to show me."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows, sensing she really shouldn't push the issue. She had a feeling it took a lot to annoy Shizuru to the point where she would dare let it show. Natsuki wordlessly put her earmuffs back on and stepped up to the nearest stall. She lifted the gun out of the plastic bag, handing the bag to Shizuru to hold. Releasing the safety, Natsuki raised the primed gun up with both her hands.

Shizuru watched, studying the way Natsuki raised it to eye level. Her eyes drifted down to Natsuki's wide stance, the practiced posture making the younger woman look incredibly impressive.

Natsuki grinned, aiming for the cardboard target's 'heart'. She took a slow breath, pulling the trigger back quickly. The gun lurched back, Natsuki's strong arms absorbing the fierce recoil.

Shizuru winced, the sound still quite startling even with the earmuffs on. Natsuki lowered her arms, studying the target. The bullet hole was no more than two inches away from the dead center of the target.

Shizuru walked up as Natsuki took off her earmuffs. She glanced at the target, a small smile forming on her face. "Impressive," she stated, eyeing the gun in Natsuki's hands.

"Arigato," Natsuki replied, hiding her relief. At least her aim was as accurate as ever. She turned, trying to look cavalier regarding the results.

"Would you mind telling me what we just proved?" Shizuru asked calmly. She hid a smile, studying the nonchalant look on the navy-haired woman's face. She could tell Natsuki was trying to show off without being too obvious.

"See for yourself," Natsuki replied, a small smirk on her face. She handed the gun to Shizuru carefully, raising her eyebrows when the brown-haired woman smiled.

"Gladly," Shizuru replied, walking into the same stall. She turned to Natsuki before raising the gun, a playful smile forming on her face. She studied the target carefully, slowing down her heart rate. After a moment she fired, startled by how strongly the gun forced her arms back.

Natsuki smirked, walking over to examine the results. Her smile faded when she studied the target. Shizuru's shot was an inch closer than hers.

Shizuru hid a smile when she saw Natsuki's smile waver. She almost felt a little guilty. _Perhaps I really should have aimed slightly off. _

Natsuki gaped at the target for a moment before quickly looking away. "_She's incredible," _Natsuki realized. She turned back to Shizuru, trying desperately to hide her jealousy. "Did you feel it?" she asked quickly.

"The recoil?" Shizuru asked. She nodded after a moment. "I admit it was quite unexpected."

Natsuki nodded. "And did you hear how loud it was? That gun is one of the loudest I've ever shot. Not exactly a good choice for someone making a hit."

Shizuru smiled, once again impressed with Natsuki's rationalizations. "Very good point Agent Kruger. This gun is far too powerful to make it a wise choice."

"Exactly," Natsuki nodded. "I think whoever bought the gun had no clue what to look for. It looks impressive, sure, but anyone experienced enough with guns to be up for hire would steer clear."

"Suggesting that the murder was most likely performed by someone inexperienced," Shizuru finished for her, a smile creeping onto her face.

"And we have the position Arai was in when he was murdered," Natsuki added. "We know whoever did it was able to get through the front door with no trouble at all. Arai was probably used to having the person in the room, so he didn't see any reason to panic. The letters were all sent by the same individual, suggesting that the murder was planned by one person or group. They were most-likely designed to divert attention away from the office itself."

"You should have been on this case days ago," Shizuru smiled. "I'm fairly sure the director will see things similarly."

Natsuki blushed, startled by the praise. She'd had similar things said to her many times before. Why was it so different when it came from Shizuru?

"Agent Kruger?" Shizuru asked, an innocent look on her face.

"Yes?" Natsuki replied, suddenly suspicious.

"I'd be more than happy to help you work on your aim."

Shizuru couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face. _Ara, that worked out better than expected._

Natsuki gaped, watching Shizuru laugh. Her face flushed furiously. "It's a good thing I'm not still holding the gun," she muttered, making Shizuru laugh harder.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru asked softly, her laughter fading. Her heart raced quickly as she waited to see Natsuki's reaction. It was the first time she had used her first name. She hesitated for a moment. "I'm glad you were transferred."

Natsuki's face turned a more brilliant color. _Sh..she used my first name? _Natsuki opened her mouth to reply, unsure what to say. Her pulse quickened to a dangerous rate, her mind replaying what Shizuru had just said. "B..baka," Natsuki stuttered, as she quickly looked away.

Shizuru smiled, strangely encouraged by the reaction. She watched as Natsuki quickly walked out of the room.

"Natsuki," Shizuru repeated quietly to herself, the name striking her as nothing short of perfect. Her smile faded as she glanced down at the gun in her hand. The sight quickly forced her mind back to the case.

Shizuru walked out the door, meeting Natsuki in the next room. Together, the two women walked back down the hallway.

* * *

**A/N: Lol, so hopefully I didn't completely mangle inventing evidence. :D ****I'm not exactly a CSI writer, lol.**

**Thanks for reading!!! :D Reviews very appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Lol, I've noticed it's inevitably always past 3:00A.M. whenever I post new chapters. But now, I can plead temporary insanity as a result of sleep deprivation if I've written anything too insane, lol.**

**Oh, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Or, as my math teacher would say: "Happy Turkey Day", lol. I know it's technically not thanksgiving yet, but it's thanksgiving weekend, so that's close enough for me. :D**

**Thank you guys for all the awesome reviews! :D *grins uncontrollably* And I'd especially like to thank WouldBeSenpai for beta-ing this chapter. I have no idea how she puts up with me, lol, but I am extremely grateful she does. :D**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you like it! :D**

* * *

**Chapter #3: Final Preparations**

Natsuki took the elevator back up to her hotel room's floor. She walked over to her door, and inserted her key in the lock. She was startled when the door swung open with the pressure she applied. Natsuki pulled the key out quickly, and took a step back. "_It's probably just the maintenance staff,_"she told herself, her heart racing. Nevertheless, in her line of work it never hurt to be cautious.

Natsuki pushed lightly on the door, letting it swing open the whole way. Carefully, she stepped into the room. Her eyes scanned the room for movement, but there was no one in sight.

"Ugh," Natsuki grunted as someone slammed into her from behind. She fell to the ground, the air forced out of her lungs. The rush of adrenaline that followed was almost overwhelming. Natsuki frantically rolled on the ground and rapidly used her arm to shove off her attacker. Her hair fell down in front of her face, obstructing her view. Natsuki spun into a kneeling position and pressed her weight down on the intruder.

Quickly brushing her hair out of the way, Natsuki grabbed the attacker's arms. She slammed them down into the ground forcefully, which effectively pinned them there. Natsuki rapidly glanced around the room—knowing it was very possible there was more than one attacker.

The sound of laughter made Natsuki freeze. She finished scanning the room before turning back to her assailant. Her mouth fell open when she studied the woman's face.

"Mai?!" Natsuki exclaimed, a look of utter shock on her face.

Mai laughed harder in unrestrained amusement. She glanced down at the suggestive position in which she was being forcibly restrained. "So are you absolutely sure that you've never had a crush on me?" She asked playfully.

Natsuki rolled her eyes, a small smirk on her face as she got up. "You know that it's not exactly my fault you decided to attack me."

"That's technically true," Mai replied with a smile. She got up from the floor and brushed herself off. "But I had to make sure you weren't slipping Natsuki. And besides, I knew that you'd never tell me how your first day went over the phone."

"I would have told you," Natsuki replied defensively. She closed and locked the hotel room door. Natsuki couldn't help but smile as she walked over to the small couch and sat down.

"You would have told me the details about your new case over an insecure hotel-room line?" Mai asked, raising her eyebrows. "I _sincerely_ hope that's an outright lie." Mai followed after her, sitting down in the chair across from the couch.

"Well, I can't tell you anything here," Natsuki shrugged. "This insecure hotel-room could very well be bugged."

"Oh, come on," Mai laughed. "I pulled an extra shift on Saturday so that I could get off early today. And you know that Fuuka agents never leave empty-handed."

"Think back to our very first case and reconsider your statement," Natsuki replied dryly.

"Alright, fine," Mai sighed. "But we're not level-two agents anymore Natsuki."

Natsuki looked over at the red-headed woman as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "You're right Mai."

Mai nodded happily, pleased that the navy-haired woman had come to her senses.

Natsuki smirked to herself. "Being an Elite agent now, I happen to outrank you. You know that I could probably just _order_ you to leave."

Mai gave a mock gasp, a smile forming on her face. "On what grounds, Agent Kruger?"

"How about breaking and entering?" Natsuki asked with a satisfied smirk. "That one works for me."

"Oh please, no one actually presses charges for that anymore," Mai scoffed. "Besides, you're in a different district now. I won't take orders from an enemy agent."

"Well, I don't need to tell an enemy agent all about my new case," Natsuki grinned.

Mai sighed dramatically. She perked up after a moment— her original energy restored. "So what are the people like?" She asked. "Did you make any friends?"

"Because I'm so good with people," Natsuki replied sarcastically.

Mai grinned, repressing a laugh. "Well, did you meet any nice, single women who also happen to be gay?" She gave Natsuki a playful grin.

Natsuki's smile faded a little as her thoughts drifted back to the conversation she'd overheard. "Mai, you should have heard these two agents talking today. Garderobe's _completely_ homophobic."

"More than Fuuka?" Mai asked, her voice taking on a serious tone. Her smile faded as she studied the look on Natsuki's face.

"At least in Fuuka, no one ever called me a hentai to my face," Natsuki replied. She consciously stopped her fists from clenching.

"Someone called you a hentai!?" Mai furiously exclaimed. "Who!?"

"Well, they weren't talking about me," Natsuki admitted. "...I think." She paused for a moment. "Anyway, let's just say that I'm not too eager to let it slip that I'm not into men."

Mai looked at Natsuki for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry Natsuki," Mai said finally, her voice soft. "People can be complete bakas sometimes."

Natsuki shrugged as her stomach involuntarily clenched. "Don't worry about it Mai. It's not exactly a shock."

Mai continued to stare at Natsuki for a moment. She didn't know what else she could say.

Natsuki cleared her throat quietly, "So how are things at Fuuka?"

Mai smiled, shaking her head. "Same old stuff." She paused for a moment, thinking to herself. "So you really didn't meet anyone that you don't despise?"

Natsuki groaned, leaning back against the couch. "Can we please change the topic Mai?"

"So you met someone?" Mai asked as she sat up straighter. A sly smile had already formed on her face. "Man or woman?"

"Both," Natsuki scowled. She was mildly annoyed that Mai was still stuck on her non-existent social life. Mai blinked at her for a moment. Natsuki's eyes widened slightly. "Okay, not exactly what I meant," she laughed after a second. "My new case partners—two women and one man—seem nice enough.

"Oh," Mai laughed. She raised her eyebrows suggestively, "So... two women?"

"Mai!" Natsuki exclaimed, her face flushing slightly. "You're such a hentai! I'm really starting to think you're more gay than I am."

"Come on!" Mai grinned as she ignored the statement. "I need details here Natsuki. You know that an investigation should be as thorough as possible."

Natsuki scowled and decided it was far safer not to speak at all. She knew that Mai was studying the look on her face for clues. _"Don't think about Shizuru," _Natsuki mentally recited. Naturally, that thought led to other—more intimate—thoughts of the older agent. Natsuki swallowed hard as she thought back to way that Shizuru had softly spoken her name.

Mai's grin widened as she sat up even straighter. She watched the way that Natsuki's face took on a reddish glow and couldn't help but laugh. "Natsuki Kruger, Garderobe's very own Elite agent, is _blushing_?" Mai asked. "This woman must be pretty special."

Natsuki glared at Mai as her face heated up even more. "Who are we talking about?" She asked casually.

Mai laughed harder. By now her excitement was irrepressible. "You tell me, Natsuki. What's her name?" She paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Unless, of course, you're attracted to both of them."

"No!" Natsuki exclaimed quickly. She shuddered slightly at the thought. The idea of her and Nao dating made her wince slightly. _That would turn into one abusive relationship._

"Well, that makes things simpler then," Mai replied. She was quite pleased with the extremely-defensive reaction. "So," She pushed once more, "what's her name?"

Natsuki let her head fall back on the couch, hitting it with a dull thump. She let out a sigh as she realized that—as always—there would be no way around it. "Her name is Viola," She admitted after a moment, "but it really doesn't matter."

"Hmm," Mai hummed thoughtfully. "And her first name?"

"How should I know?" Natsuki replied quickly. She looked away, staring at the small TV in the corner of her room. She didn't want Mai to think that she was _that_ attracted. "I don't remember."

"I'm sure you don't," Mai nodded with a smirk. "We both know how common it is for Elite-level agents to forget names entirely."

"Fine," Natsuki snapped, "her name is..." Natsuki hesitated as she began blushing slightly. She took a slow breath. "Her name is Shizuru." Natsuki's voice sounded far quieter than she had intended— the name coming out as little more than a whisper.

Mai raised her eyebrows as the name left her lips. "Shizuru?" Mai repeated gently. She paused to study the faint flush on the navy-haired woman's cheeks. "It's a very pretty name."

Natsuki merely shrugged in response. She was unwilling to admit that she couldn't help but agree. "Anyway, like I said, it really doesn't matter. We're coworkers Mai, end of story."

The red-headed woman gave a small frown. "What makes you so sure that's all Viola-san wants?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in a defensive position. "Trust me on this one Mai. You should have seen this blond guy hitting on her in the middle of the hallway."

Mai couldn't help but grin at the annoyed look on her friend's face. Natsuki was already this territorial? "And if this guy made a move _on you_, that would automatically make _you_ straight?"

"There's no way Mai," Natsuki protested. "I'm telling you."

"No, _I'm_ telling _you_ Natsuki," Mai laughed. "You aren't looking at this objectively in the least. You're already too predisposed to make an accurate assessment. If this were a case, I would have had you pulled off of it in a heartbeat."

"What?" Natsuki exclaimed. "I'm _not_ predisposed." She scowled as she fidgeted around so she could glare at Mai from a comfortable position.

"Yes, you are," Mai laughed. "And I haven't seen you take such a strong interest in someone in _over a year_. Let's face it Natsuki, your love life is depressing."

Natsuki glared harder, her eyes narrowing in an attempt to induce a feeling of fear. Mai, however, was quite immune—having dealt with similar looks from the navy-haired woman for many years.

"Do I really have to spell this out for you?" Natsuki snapped. "Every woman that I find attractive is straight. Do you know what percentage of the female population is actually gay?" Natsuki demanded. "Such a small percentage that the chances of me finding someone I like—who actually likes me— are so _microscopically_ small that I might as well not even try."

Mai blinked for a moment. After a brief pause she got up from her seat. She placed her hands quickly on her hips. "That's it," She proclaimed definitively.

Natsuki raised her eyebrows in a quizzical expression. _Did I miss something? _"That's what?" She asked wearily.

"We're going to a gay bar," Mai announced. She gave Natsuki an expectant look and waited for the navy-haired woman to get up from the couch.

"W...what?!" Natsuki exclaimed, the look on her face an unmasked mixture of shock and fear. She'd never been to a gay bar before, but the idea behind them was nothing short of terrifying. And since when was she desperate enough to consider going somewhere like that? "There is no way in Hell that we're going to a gay bar, Mai," She added menacingly.

"We're not in Hell Natsuki," Mai replied with a smug grin.

"Do you know how thin these walls are?" Natsuki demanded as she furiously pointed to room beside her. The couple that was staying there was particularly... enthusiastic. "You can hear _everything_, Mai_. _It's pretty damn close."

Mai burst out laughing, unable to contain herself. "While that is a good point, I don't think that's really relevant. And, to be completely honest, Natsuki, you are starting to depress me. And so," She paused for effect, "we're going to go out and meet some nice, single women."

"No," Natsuki replied firmly, "we're not." She stretched out further onto the couch, as if to demonstrate that her plans for the evening didn't include moving.

"Please?" Mai pleaded. She decided that a change of tactics was necessary and took her hands off her hips, clasping them together. A long moment passed. When Natsuki still didn't answer, Mai let her hands fall to her sides. "Fine," She sighed in inevitable defeat.

Natsuki smirked. She was quite pleased she had won with so little effort.

Mai scowled at her before walking across the room.

"Where are you going?" Natsuki asked, sitting up so that she could follow the movement. _Surely Mai wasn't planning on going without her_.

"I'm getting us food," Mai replied. "What do you want to eat?"

"You're cooking?" Natsuki grinned. She still hadn't eaten anything all day. The coffee Takeda brought her wasn't exactly substantial.

"With what?" Mai scoffed. "I'm calling room service."

"Oh," Natsuki replied suddenly. The realization that she didn't currently have a kitchen suddenly hit her. "Right."

"And just for the record, this conversation isn't over," Mai added sternly. "We really need to work on your insecurities Natsuki."

Natsuki gaped, temporarily lost for words. "M...my insecurities?!" She exclaimed. "I'm a very secure person."

"Well, you can say it as many times as you like," Mai replied. "But if I were profiling you now, 'insecure about her sexuality' would be written at the top of my notes."

"I'm _not_ insecure!" Natsuki yelled. She glared menacingly once more at the red-headed woman.

"You'll just have to prove that to me," Mai replied calmly. "I suggest you start by watching Viola-san from an _objective_ point of view. It's about time you found someone Natsuki. At this point, I'd happily have you settle for some agent I've never even met."

With that, Mai turned and walked briskly over to phone on the table. Natsuki groaned softly to herself, her cheeks flushing slightly. "_Fine," _she mentally growled, _"__tomorrow_ _I'll objectively prove Shizuru isn't gay." _ At least then she could just get over her attraction before it got any worse.

* * *

"Good morning Kruger-san," Chie smiled as Natsuki walked in through the front doors.

Natsuki nodded in return and gave a small smile to the friendly woman. "Agent Hallard," She replied.

Chie's grin widened when she realized that Natsuki had remembered her name. She slid off her stool with a small hop and began walking into the interview room.

Natsuki watched her leave, eyebrows raised. Was it really alright for her to leave the main room unattended? _Well, I guess she's nearby. _Natsuki turned and walked over to the other door. She unclipped her ID card from her jacket pocket and swiped it through the scanner.

The small beep that followed elicited a low growl from the navy-haired woman. She raised her card once again—careful to swipe the card so that it was aligned with the wall behind the small machine. Again, her efforts were met with the flashing of a small, red light.

Natsuki took a slow breath; her face flushed from embarrassment. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder, making sure that Chie hadn't come back. When a scan of the room confirmed that she was alone, Natsuki crouched down so that she was at eye level with the scanner. She lifted her card up and slid it through as slowly as possible. After a suspenseful two seconds, the machine beeped once more. Natsuki cursed under her breath, her cheeks now incredibly warm.

The sound of faint laughter from the other room made Natsuki blush even harder. The thought of someone realizing that she couldn't get the scanner to work was almost too much.

* * *

Nao burst into another fit of uncontrollable snickering. Chie did the same; a hand clamped over her mouth in an effort to stop the sound from traveling. Even Aoi was laughing, though she desperately tried not to. However, no amount of training could have enabled them to keep their composure.

Nao turned the monitor slightly, in an attempt to get a better view of the video feed. Chie shifted around so she could still see clearly.

"Chie, let her in," Aoi protested. The attempted seriousness behind the demand was ruined by the small smile the brown-haired woman failed to conceal. "Chie!"

"Come on, just a little longer," Chie grinned. She watched as Natsuki tried once more, banging her fist against the door in frustration when nothing happened.

"How long do you think that it'll take her to realize we put the door on silent lock-down?" Nao smirked.

"We?" Chie asked, eyebrows raised.

"Please," Nao scoffed. "You're both accessories to the cr..." She trailed off—snickering even harder when Natsuki hit the scanner a few times. At this rate, she was going to break it before they had a chance to open the door.

There was a small beep from the monitor to the side. Chie turned towards the right half of the desk and quickly read the warning that was now displayed on the screen.

"Uh, guys?" Chie asked, tilting the monitor so Aoi and Nao could see. "Someone's overriding the lock-down."

"What?" Nao asked, her smile quickly shifting to a look of panic. "From outside the building?"

"Move," Aoi ordered, suddenly serious. Chie quickly backed out of the way. She watched over Aoi's shoulder as the brown-haired woman did her job.

Aoi typed furiously—pausing only to read the new window that popped up on the screen. She breathed a sigh of relief, and fell back into her chair. "Not from outside. From first-floor security."

Nao frowned, an annoyed look on her face. "Who's doing it?" She asked in confusion. Who else could possibly know what they were doing? She hadn't told anyone other than Chie and Aoi.

Aoi typed in another command and watched as the camera angle from the security room came up on the screen. There was silence in the interview room as the three agents stared at the screen open-mouthed.

"Ara, surprised to see me?" Shizuru asked, turning to face the camera. "You know Zhang-san, Agent Kruger does work here now. She is actually permitted access into the building." Shizuru repressed a smile as she turned back to the security screen displaying the navy-haired agent. She felt a mixture of mild guilt and exhilaration watching Natsuki—though, she didn't have nearly as much time as she wished to stare at the younger agent. She didn't want to completely embarrass Natsuki.

"Viola-san?" Nao asked into the interview room's camera. "How did you know what we were doing?"

Shizuru glanced to the screen beside her—smiling when she saw the look of bewilderment on the red-haired agent's face. "I was attempting to page Senoh-san to ask if she knew your whereabouts, Agent Zhang. Imagine my surprise when I happened to overhear your rather peculiar method of welcoming Kruger-san to Garderobe."

Nao grinned, shrugging her shoulders. "You don't have to hack into the system to override the command. All you need to do is type in your code." Nao's grin widened in realization. "But you already knew that, didn't you Viola-san?"

"Ara, I'm afraid I don't know what you're trying to imply," Shizuru replied as a hint of a smile crossed her face. She turned back to the monitor that displayed Natsuki's image, and felt her heart race faster. It was true, of course. She could have easily opened the door by now. Still, she was—at least—working at it. And if she happened to get a sense of guilty pleasure from studying Natsuki's adorable expression in the meantime, so be it. "This is the only way I know how to open the outer door. Besides, Agent Zhang, I'm terribly out of practice."

With one last glance at the screen, Shizuru finished the override. She got up gracefully, and raised an eyebrow at the camera one last time before walking out the door. Shizuru strolled out of the security room and stopped just before the entrance to the front room.

Making sure her amusement was adequately concealed, Shizuru quickly pushed open the door. There was a grunt of surprise from the other side as Natsuki stumbled back.

Natsuki frantically turned herself around so that her back was facing the wall in an attempt to discreetly snap the scanner's outer casing back on.

"Good morning Kruger-san," Shizuru smiled. She made sure to use Natsuki's last name. She didn't want Nao to get any ideas. Even if the camera's audio intake wasn't sensitive enough to pick up their voices, Nao was still quite a good lip-reader.

"A..Agent Viola," Natsuki gulped, her face practically on fire. "You're here early."

Shizuru smiled, nodding slightly. "Was there a particular reason that you were dismantling our key-card scanner?" She raised her eyebrows slightly—a playful look now displayed on her face.

Natsuki quickly scowled at Shizuru. She was well aware she was being teased. "This stupid scanner is defective," She growled deeply. With that, she turned to glare the scanner into submission. "It doesn't work with my card."

Shizuru locked her eyes with Natsuki's. She studied the look of annoyance in them as she reached down to take Natsuki's card from her. She leaned over and swiped the card evenly through the scanner. The light turned green immediately. As Shizuru calmly turned back to Natsuki, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "I see," She replied.

Natsuki gaped at the scanner— a look beyond fury now in her eyes. "It _wasn't_ working," She insisted firmly. Her eyes dared Shizuru to attempt to say otherwise.

"You know, Kruger-san, you could always request assistance," Shizuru replied with a smile. "I'm sure that Agent Hallard or Senoh would be happy to oblige."

Natsuki blushed even harder. She was unwilling to admit that she was too embarrassed to ask for help. As an Elite agent there really wasn't much in the way of security that could keep her out for long. What kind of Elite agent had trouble getting into the building where she worked?

Shizuru looked down at the card in her hands, and flipped it over so she could study the front. The small picture of Natsuki really didn't do her justice. She was very photogenic of course, but the picture was no substitute for the flawless face in front of her.

The brown-haired woman smiled softly as she looked up to study Natsuki's questioning eyes. She turned so her back was to the camera, effectively shielding herself and Natsuki from Nao. Slowly, she raised the card up to the clip on Natsuki's suit pocket. She used her other hand to force the clip open as she slid the card smoothly underneath.

Natsuki inhaled sharply as tried her best to remain still. She swallowed painfully— her thoughts racing almost as quickly as her heart. Natsuki desperately tried to slow her pulse down. She was positive that the older agent could feel her heart thumping through the black jacket.

Shizuru's gaze shifted from the card to Natsuki's eyes, studying them carefully. She was prepared to step back at any sign of displeasure. Without looking away, she slid her hands off of the card, carefully smoothing out the jacket beside it.

Natsuki stifled a gasp— the intimate contact affecting her more than she would have cared to admit. She found herself unable to move away, held in place by the sudden intensity of Shizuru's stare.

Shizuru pulled her hands back slowly. She slid them down a little too far before pulling away.

Natsuki made no move to stop her hands or back away. Actually, the look on the younger-woman's face was quite hard to read. Her cheeks were decidedly flushed, but was that simply due to her embarrassment over not opening the door?

"I've discussed our findings with the director," Shizuru said finally, breaking the silence. "I've actually been here since six o'clock," She added. She gave Natsuki a small smile when she saw the look of surprise on her face. "Director Wong has granted us permission to go ahead with the infiltration." She turned back once more, so that she was clearly in view of the camera. "In fact, Agent Zhang should be working on our cover profiles now." Shizuru's eyes flickered up to the camera briefly.

Natsuki nodded in response. She was unable to hide the wide grin on her face. She couldn't help but feel proud that she had helped come up with enough evidence to warrant a more thorough investigation. "So who's going in?" She asked quickly.

"Ara," Shizuru replied with mock surprise, "we are, Agent Kruger. I thought that you were aware."

"W...what?" Natsuki replied. She was sure she couldn't be hearing correctly. "_We_ are?"

"Of course," Shizuru answered— her red eyes shining with amusement. "_We,_" She repeated, the word slipping off her tongue.

Natsuki nodded, unable to speak. "O...oh," She managed to get out softly. Her cheeks flushed at the seemingly-suggestive manor in which Shizuru had spoken.

"I hear from Director Wong you perform quite well undercover. It's very rare for him to develop such strong convictions from a single file." Shizuru's smile widened slightly. "You must have already made quite an impression."

Natsuki ignored the compliment; she was still entirely fixated on the previous statement. "So we're the only ones going undercover?" She clarified. "What about Agents Zhang and Masashi?" It was, after all, their case too. Natsuki knew there was usually quite a bit of jealously over what position people got assigned to. She didn't want to make any enemies on the very first case.

"They do their best work from the sidelines," Shizuru replied. "Agent Zhang, in particular, is an excellent profiler. Mashashi-san is confident he can get us patched into the new security system without having to alert the security guards. They'll be able to watch us and the employees from there."

Natsuki nodded after a moment. She decided it was a fairly sound plan. If Nao was really as good as Shizuru said she was, she would be able to pick out likely suspects just by watching their public interaction. "And when are we planning to do this?" Natsuki asked thoughtfully.

"Tomorrow," Shizuru replied quickly. "Needless to say, we'll have to rush things a little."

"A little?!" Natsuki exclaimed. She had one day to map out strategies, learn a cover so thoroughly she could act the part realistically, _and_ learn everything her cover was supposed to know how to do? Was Shizuru insane?

"Ara, don't look so worried," Shizuru laughed. "We're very efficient."

"Great," Natsuki replied sarcastically. "We can _efficiently_ blow this entire operation in less than 24 hours." Much to Natsuki's infuriation, Shizuru gave her an amused look in return.

"You don't think we have enough time to do the job properly?" Shizuru asked as she brushed her brown hair out of her eyes smoothly. "That's an interesting statement, coming from you Kruger-san."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms casually. What exactly was Shizuru trying to say?

"Well, I just presumed you'd be able to keep up," Shizuru added— the corners of her mouth turning up in a dangerous smile.

Natsuki's mouth fell open slightly. She glared and blushed fiercely at the same time. "It wasn't me I was worried about," She growled. With that, she pressed her thumb onto the top of the scanner and opened the door as soon as it unlocked. She began walking purposefully down the hallway. Halfway down, she began praying she was supposed to go to the same room as before. It would be more than a little embarrassing if she went to the wrong place.

Natsuki turned partially, checking over her shoulder to make sure Shizuru wasn't behind her. When Natsuki was sure that the brown-haired woman was nowhere in sight, she opened the stairwell door.

Natsuki immediately looked over at the two people standing just inside the door. She cleared her throat impatiently as she walked past. Natsuki rolled her eyes in mild disgust at the public display of affection.

The black-haired agent pulled his face away from that of the woman with whom he was previously enthralled. His eyes widened when he realized Natsuki was the one glaring at them.

Natsuki's eyes widened in a similar fashion. "Mashashi?" She asked. She was obviously not impressed.

Takeda blushed furiously as he forcefully shoved the blond woman away. The woman let out a small cry of surprise when she was shoved backwards. She pouted slightly and reached to brush the black hair out of Takeda's eyes.

He grabbed her hand, shoving it away impatiently. Natsuki bristled slightly as she watched him; she was surprised by the amount of unnecessary force he used. There was really no reason for him to be so rough, especially considering the fact that he was all over her a moment ago.

"Takeda," the woman protested, reaching her hand up again. He grabbed her once again— his grip far too tight for Natsuki's liking.

"I have to go," he said firmly. He released her hand after a moment and walked up the first few stairs to Natsuki. There was an a look of annoyance on his face, but Natsuki was surprised to notice he looked more annoyed with the other woman than with her.

Natsuki gave the blond woman one last glance before she started up the stairs. "You do know that we have a case to work on, right?" Natsuki asked Takeda. She allowed her annoyance to resonate clearly.

"I...I'm sorry, Kruger-san," Takeda replied quickly. His face flushed even more.

Natsuki didn't say anything as she opened the door. She held it open behind her for Takeda and he nodded his thanks. Togther, they walked over to the room from the day before.

After a few minutes of very forced conversation, Shizuru and Nao walked into the room. Natsuki ignored the smile Shizuru gave her, and crossed her arms as the older agent sat down.

"Kanin na for the wait," Shizuru said softly. Natsuki looked up at her, as she found the sincerity in the older agent's voice oddly startling. Natsuki nodded, blushing faintly under the brown-haired woman's gaze.

Nao watched the interaction curiously. She smirked silently to herself as she sat down at the table. After a moment, she cleared her throat, and opened one of the folders that she had brought with her.

Shizuru looked from Natsuki to Nao, and nodded her head to the red-haired agent. "Agent Zhang, would you care to debrief Agent Kruger on the current situation?"

"Of course," Nao grinned. She leaned back in her chair confidently. "Hallard-san has booked us a clear way into the Foreign Affairs Office. You and Viola-san are going undercover as temporary employees."

"How did you manage that?" Natsuki asked, eyebrows raised. _Wouldn't it be just a little obvious if we both suddenly appeared as new employees?_

"Ask Viola-san," Nao replied with a small smirk on her face. "It was her idea."

Natsuki turned to Shizuru, waiting for an answer.

Shizuru cleared her throat slightly before she spoke. "The Foreign Affairs Office is required to offer counseling services to all office employees. Many of them were close to Arai, making them prone to psychological trauma as a result of his death. The Foreign Affairs Office reopens tommorow morning, but not all of the office's 28 employees will be returning. Two of them will be taking mandatory two-week breaks, ordered by the psychologist in charge of their assessments."

"Really?" Natsuki asked as a small smile formed on her face. She liked where this was going.

Shizuru smiled back— pleased that Natsuki liked the idea. "Naturally, loosing someone with whom you worked closely is psychologically straining. It's only natural that some people can't cope as easily as others."

"And the psychologist conveniently decided two people weren't... coping?" Natsuki grinned.

"Of course," Shizuru replied. "Once we had one of our agents take his place." She paused for a moment as she allowed herself to enjoy the look on Natsuki's face. "Luckily for the Foreign Affairs Office, Garderobe Temp Agency is always extremely accommodating. Hallard-san was able to convince the office that we had the workers they desired."

Natsuki shook her head slowly. She was impressed at how well-thought-out the plan was. Not only did it provide them with a way to get inside, but it was also pretty believable. After a moment her smile faded as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "When did you do all this?" She asked Shizuru.

"Well, I had to receive permission before proceeding," Shizuru answered. "I talked to the director after you left yesterday, and managed to catch Hallard-san just before she exited the building."

"Why didn't you ask me to stay?" Natsuki demanded— offended that she hadn't been included in the process. "I wouldn't have minded putting in a few extra hours."

"Ara, you mentioned that you had to find an apartment, Kruger-san," Shizuru replied with a small frown. "I didn't want to impose on your plans."

"It's not imposing," Natsuki replied firmly. "It's my _job._"

Takeda cleared his throat loudly in an attempt to break the silence that followed. Natsuki stared at Shizuru silently. Their eyes locked dangerously before she looked away. It was almost like Shizuru didn't want her help. Natsuki bit her lip in frustration. Who was she kidding? Shizuru didn't _need_ her help.

Nao repressed a smirk as she leaned into the table. "So, who wants to see their cover profile?" She asked.

Natsuki snapped out of it and set her mind back on the case. "What do you have?" She asked as she turned to face Nao.

Nao grinned as she held up the first folder and opened it with a flourish. The picture of Natsuki that was stored in Garderrobe's database was now displayed in the top-right corner.

Natsuki looked from the folder to Nao. She was waiting for an explanation of her assignment.

"Meet Natsuki Kruger," Nao instructed Natsuki before tossing the file toward her. Natsuki looked down at the folder. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the way her name was typed underneath the picture.

"I think we've met," Natsuki replied. She wasn't particularly amused. "Do you have my cover or not?"

"That is your cover," Nao replied with a smirk. "You supposedly work for a temp agency Kruger-san. Don't you think going undercover as a temp agency worker is absolutely ingenious in its simplicity?"

"Please tell me you realize the point of having a cover is that people don't actually know who you are," Natsuki pleaded in frustration. She looking from Nao to Shizuru and Takeda for back-up. "You've got to be kidding me," She exclaimed when they didn't say anything.

"Look Agent Kruger," Nao smirked, "in case you hadn't noticed, as far as the outside world is concerned, this is a _real_ temp agency. Heretofore," Nao continued in an intentionally-arrogant tone, "it's expected that we—as employees of said temp agency—_fill temporary positions that are available from time to time_." She paused to take a breath as her smirk widened condescendingly. "In other words, as long as you don't screw this up in some unimaginable way, things should go smoothly." Nao's grin widened even further when she saw the look of rage on the navy-haired agent's face. "And for the record, Agent Kruger, a cover should only ever be what it needs to be. And in this case, a cover is not about changing names."

"Then what exactly did you change?!" Natsuki demanded. She glared furiously at the agent opposite her.

"Well, let's face it Kruger-san," Nao began, "you needed some _serious_ reconstruction."

"E...excuse me?!" Natsuki demanded. She wasn't entirely sure what Nao was talking about. The one thing she did know, judging from the look of joy on Nao's face, was that it was—no doubt—intended as an insult.

"_Serious_ reconstruction," Nao repeated once more.

Shizuru hid a smile at the look on Natsuki's face. The navy-haired woman was really far too adorable. Shizuru knew that she probably shouldn't take nearly so much joy out of the faint blush on Natsuki's cheeks, but she found herself unable to look away.

Natsuki closed her mouth slowly and crossed her arms in such a way that anyone else would have run in fear. What exactly was Nao suggesting? _Plastic surgery?_

"Agent Masashi and I have spent some time over the weekend going through all of the employee biographies and police interviews," Nao began. "The two employees you will be taking the place of have solid alibis and no clear motives, so chances are extremely small that they're the ones responsible. After a brief analysis of the other employees, I've come up with a compatible personality for you to try out Kruger-san. Pull it off well enough, and you might see some results."

"You remodeled my _personality_?!" Natsuki exclaimed with a furious glare. "What the hell is wrong with the one I have?"

"I'm sorry Kruger-san," Nao smirked, "but we do have a time limit."

Natsuki gaped in shock. The only thing that stopped her from retaliating quite spectacularly was the quiet laughter that came from the brown-haired woman beside her.

Shizuru quickly put a hand up to her mouth to mask her smile. She coughed quietly before lowering her hand. The look Natsuki was giving her made it incredibly hard to keep a straight face.

Takeda gave a small laugh as well, though abruptly stopped when Natsuki slowly looked his way. Much to Natsuki's satisfaction, all trace of color left his face soon after.

"Please don't take such offense Kruger-san," Shizuru said after a moment. The amusement still shone clearly in her eyes. "We have both been assigned a persona to adopt. Though it may be quite surprising, Agent Zhang is quite proficient at what she does." Shizuru gave Nao a small smile when Nao feigned a gasp.

Natsuki scowled and picked the folder up from the table. "What exactly _is_ my personathen?" she asked Nao.

"Well, from what I saw in the interviews, the Foreign Affairs Office is pretty close-knit. Chances are, if one of the employees is involved, others know about it. You're going to do whatever you can to befriend each and every one of them. So, while you may be temperamental, insecure, and have serious intimacy issues in real life, you're going to do your best to come off as friendly," Nao added. The corners of her mouth turned up in a another taunting smile when Natsuki reacted to her comment. "The problem you'll have, Kruger-san, is trying to find a balance between participating in gossip and maintaining a trustworthy image. You're going to be a very good listener, so try to keep conversation focused almost entirely on the other person. Lead them carefully closer to the case, but be careful not to rush things."

"I _have_ done this before," Natsuki replied defensively. "I don't see why we're going through all this."

"I've come up with a series of angles you can try to get people to open up to you," Nao continued, ignoring Natsuki entirely. "For example, take Baiko Sasaki." Nao picked up a thin binder, filled with personnel files and the profiles she and Takeda had come up with. She flipped to one of the first pages, holding up a picture of an extremely well-muscled man with dark-brown hair. "Behold, the Foreign Affairs Office's resident jerk."

"Is he a sociopath or something?" Natsuki asked curiously. She wondered why Nao was bringing it up.

"No," Nao snorted. "Far too rude for that. Sociopaths typically _attempt_ to act charming. Anyway, my point is this guy could be the key to getting close to some of the other employees."

"I'm not sure I follow," Shizuru stated after a moment.

"It's a typical insecurity scenario," Nao explained, as though it were obvious. "He insults people, you're conveniently there to comfort them, and you gain instant emotional dependency. It's an easy method to get people to trust you."

"Oh," Natsuki replied and gave Nao a strange look. How exactly did she come up with these things?

"It's standard infiltration psychology," Nao sighed. "Once you read the profiles that I've established, you should be able to see who this will work best on. Now, one other angle I want to utilize is the huge male to female ratio at the office. That's where Agent Viola comes in." Nao turned to Shizuru, who nodded slightly in response. "Your job is to—pretty much—flirt with everyone in sight. By watching the interactions—specifically the feelings of jealously—that result, I should be able to pinpoint a few guys who have a tendency toward rash behavior. Alternatively, if we find a man who we suspect could be the murderer, you can use flirtation to try and establish a connection."

"She's just supposed to flirt?" Natsuki asked with a smirk.

"You know how effective her flirting can be, Kruger-san," Nao replied with a small smile. "I try to make use of _all_ our assets."

Shizuru raised her eyebrows at the comment. Did Nao just bluntly imply she had been openly flirting? And more importantly, did Natsuki realize it? She didn't risk stealing a glance at Natsuki. It was just the sort of visual confirmation that Natsuki would use from which to draw a conclusion.

Natsuki blushed faintly— not sure if she was misunderstanding what Nao had just said. Natsuki looked from Shizuru to Takeda for his reaction, as she tried to appear unaffected by the comment. He didn't seem to think that anything was odd about what Nao had just said. Then again, he didn't seem to be paying very close attention.

Natsuki turned once more to Shizuru. Her face began to heat up to an even greater degree. Still, Shizuru didn't seem to notice that Nao had said anything at all. Natsuki exhaled slowly as she turned back to face Nao.

"Do you have a theoretical profile of the killer?" Natsuki asked. It was standard procedure for a case like this one.

"A theoretical profile?" Nao asked, smirking. "And what exactly am I suppose to base this profile on?"

"On the evidence?" Natsuki suggested, not amused. Did Nao have any idea what she was doing whatsoever? "You're supposed to come up with a likely-suspect profile."

"What, like..." Nao paused as she grinned to herself. "...The size of the gun suggests overcompensation for feelings of emasculation?"

"Yep," Natsuki nodded. She leaned casually back in her chair. It definitely sounded plausible to her.

"Well in that case then," Nao grinned, "the killer is most-likely a Caucasian male between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. He is fairly good with people, though quiet, trying to stay under the radar. He is someone most people consider trustworthy, though in actuality he is quite manipulative. He gets a thrill out of acting out, but whenever he does he finds a way to downplay his actions or put the blame on someone close to him." She paused, took a deep breath, and allowed a smirk to openly cross her face.

"A Caucasian male between the ages of twenty and twenty-five?" Natsuki repeated slowly as she crossed her arms angrily. "Good call, Agent Zhang," She added sarcastically.

Nao grinned, and gave a small shrug. "You watch way too many American TV shows, Kruger-san."

Natsuki rolled her eyes in exasperation. She turned to Shizuru for help, but the brown-haired agent was trying too hard to repress a smile to notice.

"So our main profiler has no profile for us to go on?" Natsuki clarified. "That's wonderful."

"Look," Nao laughed, "I could completely BS you right here, and start spewing off facts like the killer is a chronic bed wetter and likes to murder small animals, but I _really_ don't see how that would get us anywhere. From the evidence that we've established, I can't make a prediction accurate enough to risk biasing agents who will be working in the field. Since we have the opportunity to do this from the inside, we have to change our strategies to match."

Natsuki sighed in defeat, though she was still unwilling to admit she did see Nao's point. "Fine," She huffed. "Let's work on our covers then."

As soon as Natsuki saw the grin widen on Nao's face, she instantly regretted saying anything at all.

"A very good suggestion Kruger-san," Nao replied. "I'll go get your equipment." With a small smirk, she got up and walked out of the room. "Masashi-san, give me a hand, will you?"

"E...equipment?" Natsuki repeated. Nao and Takeda left wordlessly, the door clicking shut behind them. Natsuki turned to Shizuru— her face heating up slightly at the thought of being alone with her.

"Ara, your job requires thorough knowledge of the equipment you'll be using," Shizuru replied with a small smile on her face.

"What's my job?" Natsuki asked as she glanced down at her file. Her mouth fell open when she read the words written beside 'occupation'. "I...I'm a janitor?!" She exclaimed before looking up at Shizuru in horror.

"Ara," Shizuru laughed, "that was quite a dramatic reaction."

"B...but," Natsuki started. She looked desperately from her file to Shizuru once more. "Well, what are you then?!" She demanded.

"I'll be filling in for the receptionist," Shizuru replied smoothly.

"Baka!" Natsuki growled. "Why do_ I_ have to be the janitor?"

Shizuru was slightly taken aback by the reaction, though her shock soon turned to amusement. "I presume that Zhang-san believed you were more suited to the job, Kruger-san." Shizuru hesitated as she wondered if it would alright if she used Natsuki's first name. She bit her lip thoughtfully. "_I suppose if she can call me a baka then I can certainly call her Natsuki," _she decided. Still, Natsuki hadn't been particularly receptive to her attempts to get her attention. And the comment Nao made seemed to go right over her head.

"How exactly am I suited to be a janitor?" Natsuki snapped.

Shizuru gave her a small smile and leaned in toward her slowly. "Ara, Natsuki really shouldn't be complaining. You have a far more exciting job than I do."

Natsuki looked up in surprise when her first name was used once more. "A..and how do you figure my job is exciting?" she stuttered.

Shizuru's smile widened slightly. This was more like it. "As a member of the custodial staff, you'll have a way in to each and every room. Zhang-san has found a way to give you access to everyone in the office. I, unfortunately, am confined to a desk." Shizuru locked eyes with Natsuki. The intensity behind the younger woman's gaze almost caused her to falter for a moment. "So you see, Natsuki, things aren't always what they seem."

"I...I guess you're right," Natsuki said after a moment. She swallowed hard as she tore her eyes away from the brown-haired woman. "Still, I don't see why I have to have a scripted personality," She added with a frown.

Shizuru couldn't help but smile. She reached out a hand, and tilted Natsuki's head toward her.

Natsuki blushed furiously when she realized that Shizuru was touching her cheek. She turned, meeting Shizuru's eyes questioningly with her own.

Shizuru didn't pull her hand back. She traced a small circle onto Natsuki's cheek with her thumb. Natsuki skin was unbelievably smooth.

Natsuki inhaled sharply as Shizuru's fingertips dragged sensitively across her now-burning cheek. From an _objective_ point of view things were definitely starting to look up.

"Between you and me, I find yours far more interesting," Shizuru replied softly.

Natsuki felt her face heat up even more. The sharp contrast of Shizuru's cool fingers on her warm skin was tantalizing.

A sudden knock on the door broke the silence. Natsuki jumped as she was snapped quickly out of the daze she'd been forced into.

Shizuru pulled her hand away slowly as she looked up towards the door. "Come in," She called out. Casually, she leaned back into a relaxed position.

The door opened quickly and Natsuki immediately recognized the woman from the firing range the day before. Like yesterday, the teal-haired woman had a slightly-annoyed look on her face.

"Shizuru," She said after a moment. The woman gestured back to the hallway.

Natsuki turned from the woman to Shizuru. If Natsuki tried to call her Shizuru, would the older agent object? She thought back to the way Shizuru had touched her cheek. _Maybe she wouldn't mind after all._

"I'm in the middle of working on a very crucial case," Shizuru replied quietly. Her voice was laced with hidden warnings.

"I need to talk to you _now,_" the woman insisted.

Natsuki _really_ didn't like the possessive tone in her voice. What exactly was going on between this woman and Shizuru?

Shizuru exhaled slowly, though she was careful to maintain the calm smile on her face. "As you wish," She said finally. "Excuse me, Kruger-san." She got up and left the room with the teal-haired woman.

As Natsuki watched both women leave, her jealousy grew even more. She listened carefully as their footsteps got quieter and quieter. Sighing, she began thoroughly reading through her profile. She raised her eyebrows after a moment— unable to _not_ feel impressed when she scanned the flipped page. Nao had outlined a method of approach for all 26 employees that would be there. Each one was slightly different than the one before, suggesting Nao had put a lot more thought into the profile than Natsuki had expected. "_Maybe she does know what she's doing," _Natsuki admitted. She didn't know why it came as such a surprise. Nao was obviously an Elite agent for a reason.

A couple minutes later, Nao and Takeda came back in. Together, they were wheeling a large cart from the agency's custodial room.

"You have got to be kidding me," Natsuki stated bluntly as she stared at the large mop Nao offered her with a smirk. She got up, walked over, and slowly crossed her arms.

"I would never joke about a case," Nao replied with feigned offense. "We need to be sure you know what you're doing," She continued. She crossed her arms casually as she leaned against the wall. "And if you're one of those people who leave water streaks on windows, we _need_ to know about it in advance Kruger-san."

Natsuki growled and ripped the mop out of Nao's hands angrily. Nao smirked with satisfaction before glancing over at the table. "Hey, where's Agent Viola?" she asked with a confused frown on her face.

"She left with some woman," Natsuki replied. It was a struggle not to sound as annoyed as she was. Natsuki shrugged quickly, trying to act as though she really couldn't care less.

"Teal hair?" Nao asked suspiciously. "Kind of a constipated expression?"

Natsuki smirked, nodding. "Sounds like her."

Nao smirked even more. "So, you don't like Marguerite Tomoe, huh?"

"I've never really met her," Natsuki replied casually. "I don't have an opinion." She uncrossed her arms and briefly straightened her jacket.

"I'm sure," Nao replied sarcastically. The smile on her face definitely suggested that the red-head thought otherwise.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsuki asked defensively. She raised her eyebrows to which Nao just laughed in response.

"I'm a profiler Kruger-san," Nao grinned. "I know more about you than you do."

Natsuki blushed furiously. Did Nao know she was gay? Surely she wasn't _that_ good at profiling. "Should I not like her?" Natsuki asked quickly in an attempt to divert the conversation away from herself. Maybe she could get some information out of Nao at the same time.

Takeda smirked as he leaned against the wall. "No one else does," he commented. "Especially considering what she does to Viola-san."

"W...what does she do?" Natsuki asked nervously. What could be so horrible it had the whole office hating her?

"She takes obsession to a whole new level," Nao replied with a grin. "_Seriously_. I'm a little surprised she passed the preliminary psych evaluation."

Natsuki gave Nao and Takeda an inquisitive look.

"And it's not like she has a chance," Takeda scoffed. "Like Viola-san could ever be attracted to another woman."

Natsuki breathed in sharply as her face suddenly lost all color. She quickly forced herself to nod— the corners of her mouth turning up in a mechanical smile.

"How the hell did you pass level-one profiling?" Nao asked Takeda with a look of pure confusion, and not a little indignation.

Natsuki ignored the argument they soon began. Her heart began racing uncontrollably. There it was. Everyone felt sorry for Shizuru because she was being pursued by another woman. Of course Shizuru could never feel the same way back.

_"You are a complete baka for getting your hopes up," _Natsuki mentally scolded herself in frustration. _"Did you __**really**__ believe that you actually had a chance?" _She bit her lower lip in an effort to ignore the way her stomach knotted tightly. Why was she reacting so badly? This had happened many times before.

Her stomach tightened further when she realized that it must be Tomoe the two agents were talking about the day before. They were calling her a hentai because she was attracted to Shizuru. The only thing that separated Tomoe and herself was the fact that Tomoe had been open about her sexuality. Now, everyone hated her because of it.

Natsuki bit her lip harder when she remembered the look of annoyance on Shizuru's face the first time Tomoe had talked to her. Now she knew why Shizuru looked so upset.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Natsuki cut in. The statement stopped Nao and Takeda in their tracks. "I'll be back in a moment." Briefly, she gave Takeda a small smile. He had no trouble misinterpreting it as a sign of flirtation.

Nao stepped out of the way for Natsuki—giving her a look that was something of a cross between interested and amused.

Natsuki quickly walked out into the hallway and crossed to the bathroom. "Baka," She muttered under her breath. She paused at the entrance when she heard two women faintly talking inside. "_Great," _Natsuki thought. _"Now what do I do?" _The last thing she wanted was to get dragged into another introduction.

"I'm sorry Margeurite-san. You are _mistaken."_

Natsuki pulled her hand off the handle quickly— her heart racing furiously when she recognized Shizuru's accent. She looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching her. Natsuki hesitated, unsure if she should stay or leave. She pressed her ear gently to the door as her chest clenched painfully.

"You're lying," Tomoe insisted.

"I have never lied to you," Shizuru replied. The tone in her voice was eerily calm. "This will not happen," she stated firmly. "This _cannot_ happen."

"Why not!?" Tomoe exclaimed angrily.

"Because I don't feel the same way," Shizuru answered. The sharp tone in her voice made Natsuki wince. Natsuki had never heard the brunette's smooth voice sound so harsh. "You are simply going to have to accept that."

"You can't ask me to do that," Tomoe replied furiously. "I'm _not_ going to accept this."

"You will have to," Shizuru snapped. "You have begun to interfere with my cases and—to be blunt—you have made me quite uncomfortable in the process."

Natsuki found herself inhaling shakily. It was almost as if Shizuru was saying the words to her. "_She might as well be," _Natsuki reminded herself.

"Uncomfortable?" Tomoe repeated. "Are you kidding me? You sound just like them Shizuru. I know that you have feelings for me."

"I will say this one more time," Shizuru replied firmly. She quickly lowered her voice once more. "I will _never_ be able to return your affections. "

Natsuki backed away numbly from the door. Her motions were purely reflexive at this point. She paused in the middle of the hallway, grateful that she could no longer hear what Shizuru was saying. Natsuki tried to calm herself down by taking a few deep breaths. How could Shizuru be so cruel? She was no better then anyone else in this district. Natsuki's hands clenched tightly into fists— nails digging sharply into her palms.

For a moment, she was tempted to storm into the bathroom and break up the conversation, but Natsuki knew she couldn't do anything. How would she explain the offense she took at Shizuru being so homophobic? And, once it got out that she—herself—was gay, things would only go downhill.

Forcing her fists open, Natsuki walked over to the briefing room. She blindly reached out for the handle and gripped it tightly. She took one last deep breath. _"You have a case to wor__k on," _she told herself. She felt another flare of anger when she realized she would have to work closely with Shizuru. She _really_ didn't want anything to do with her.

* * *

Shizuru turned so she was facing away from Tomoe. She allowed the exasperation she felt to briefly flash across her face. Brushing her hair away from her eyes, she turned back to the teal-haired woman.

"I don't believe you," Tomoe stated boldly. "Shizuru, there is something between us, you can't deny that. I've known from the first time that I met you that we were meant to be together."

"I have repeatedly asked you not to address me by my first name," Shizuru replied. "We are coworkers Marguerite-san, but we are nothing more than that." She studied the look of rage that flashed dangerously in the other woman's eyes.

"We belong together," Tomoe yelled furiously. She stormed over to Shizuru, but Shizuru refused to back down.

"I belong to no one," Shizuru replied angrily. "It is about time that you realized that. I can never return your feelings, nor would I want to." She opened her mouth to continue, but forced herself to stop. She quickly masked her anger, a neutral expression taking its place. "At first I was flattered to receive your affections, but I have never felt similar affection in response. I have asked you many times to end this Marguerite-san, but—instead—you have only grown more insistent. Over the past few weeks you have begun to interfere with my work. The case I am working on now could save or cost a man his life. I do not have time to repeat myself. If you are incapable of stopping yourself from actively interrupting my work, I ask that you request an immediate transfer," Shizuru stated. "This cannot continue, Marguerite-san."

"Is that what you want?!" Tomoe demanded furiously. "Me to leave the whole district?"

"If it is necessary," Shizuru replied calmly. "The choice is up to you."

There was a resounding smack as Tomoe's open palm hit Shizuru's cheek solidly. Shizuru winced slightly— her cheek stinging from the impact. She forced her eyes slowly open, and wordlessly turned to look back at Tomoe.

"Fine," Tomoe hissed. She locked eyes with Shizuru once more. The look of fury in her own made Shizuru's heart pound loudly.

Tomoe wordlessly turned and walked out the door. She slammed it behind her as she stormed away from the room.

Shizuru winced as the door connected loudly with the frame. She let the breath she had been holding out, as she allowed the calm look on her face to dissolve into one of relief. Slowly, Shizuru turned to the mirror. She raised her hand up to touch her left cheek.

The red mark Tomoe's hand had left was almost entirely faded. To anyone else, she would have appeared completely unharmed. Shizuru walked over to the large sink and supported herself by leaning against it. Was she to blame for Tomoe's outburst? Had she led her on somehow or given her the wrong impression?

Shizuru couldn't help but feel guilty. She _had_ playfully flirted with Tomoe at first. But after she realized Tomoe was serious, she had been careful not to show any interest at all. Still, would Tomoe have become so infatuated if she had never noticed her to begin with?

Shizuru exhaled slowly. She knew she really had to get back to the briefing room. Nao and Takeda would be waiting for her instructions. Shizuru paused, her stomach clenching uncomfortably. _Natsuki_ would be waiting for her to return.

A horrible thought hit Shizuru abruptly. Was she doing to Natsuki what Tomoe had done to her? Had she somehow managed to convince herself that the navy-haired agent may be interested when she wasn't? Shizuru bit her lip tightly— her heart racing at the thought.

It was true that she felt an intense attraction to the younger agent. Far more intense than she thought possible after only knowing the woman for two days.

Shizuru checked her watch and gave a slow sigh. She really didn't have time to contemplate this. Thinking about Natsuki seemed to go on far longer than she usually intended. She would just have to be cautious in her approach. If Natsuki didn't feel the same way, she would have to be careful not to pressure her.

Still, Shizuru couldn't remember the last woman she had been intrigued by to the same extent. It was an almost startling thought. What if she became too attached to Natsuki, only to find she didn't return her feelings? Would it be _her_ who was forced to transfer out the next time?

"_Ara, how melodramatic,_" Shizuru scolded herself. "_You are fully capable of exercising self-control._" She sighed once more before walking over to the exit. It was dangerous to be thinking so much about a case partner. Especially one that she had to go undercover with in less than a day.

Shizuru walked out into the hallway and over to their room. She opened the door quietly before pausing to take in the scene in front of her.

"What the hell is this?" Natsuki squinted at the bottle in her hand. She flipped it over so she could read the label. "Toilet-bowl cleaner!?" She exclaimed. A look of horrified realization soon crossed her face. "There is _no_ way, Agent Zhang."

Nao snickered happily. "And that concludes our tour of the tasks you will be expected to perform. The Foreign Affairs Office may not use exactly the same products, but you get the idea. Of course, _when_ (Natsuki couldn't help but note—with obvious irritation—that Agent Zhang used "when" as opposed to "if") you manage to completely confuse yourself anyway, you'll be wired so you can ask us for help."

"I'm not going to need help cleaning an office," Natsuki snapped. She waved the bottle of toilet-bowl cleaner angrily. "I think I can figure this out on my own."

Takeda grinned before glancing over to the door. "Oh, there you are Viola-san," he smiled. "We were just about to go through employee profiles so that you two will know who you're dealing with."

Natsuki looked up towards the door. Her stomach clenched with anger when she saw Shizuru. After a moment, she forced herself to look away. "_Keep your mind on the case," _Natsuki ordered herself.

"Ara, doesn't Kruger-san need to test out her new skills?" Shizuru asked playfully. She eyed the bottle in Natsuki's hand with a small smile. Nao and Takeda grinned.

When Natsuki turned back she unable to stop herself from glaring at Shizuru angrily. She saw Shizuru's smile falter— the slight change _almost_ unnoticeable. Natsuki couldn't help but feel a pang of satisfaction.

Shizuru studied Natsuki's face in shock. She was taken aback by the sudden anger Natsuki displayed. Was something wrong?

"Are we going to do this or what?" Natsuki asked quickly. "And I want to watch the interviews too, if it's possible."

"Sure thing," Nao replied, giving Natsuki a mock salute. "Masashi-san, can you grab them? I'm going to get a drink. Anyone want anything?" She asked.

Takeda opened his mouth to answer.

"No?" Nao cut him off. "Okay then." With a small smirk, she walked out of the door.

Takeda closed his mouth slowly, sighing. "I'll be back in a moment then," He said— specifically to Natsuki. He walked out as well.

As Natsuki put the cleaner back on the cart, she didn't bothers to keep her body language neutral. She walked wordlessly over to her chair and sat down.

Shizuru studied the way Natsuki's shoulders hunched defensively. Surely the younger agent knew she was giving off strong, negative signs. Shizuru walked over to her chair and sat down, noting that Natsuki inhaled slowly when she seated herself beside the navy-haired woman.

"Are you alright Natsuki?" Shizuru asked quietly. She reached her hand out to touch the younger agent's shoulder. The gesture was meant to be comforting. "You're not nervous about going undercover, are you?"

Natsuki's shook Shizuru's hand off and silently cursed the fact that she still blushed anyway. "I'm _not_ nervous," She insisted.

"Of...of course," Shizuru replied as she pulled her hand back uncertainly. "Kanin na, Natsuki."

"Agent Kruger," Natsuki replied suddenly.

Shizuru studied Natsuki's face— her heart sinking rapidly. "Excuse me?" She asked softly.

Natsuki turned to her, her eyes finding Shizuru's quickly. She was shocked to see the look on Shizuru's face. If she didn't know any better she would have almost mistaken the look on Shizuru's face for pain. "Agent Kruger," Natsuki repeated. "Don't call me Natsuki."

"Oh," Shizuru replied softly. She was uncharacteristically lost for words.

"Got them," Takeda announced, as he walked through the door. He eagerly waved the two tapes before sitting down.

Shizuru stole a glance in Natsuki's direction— her heart pounding no matter how desperately she tried to calm it down. Natsuki had let her call her by her first name half an hour ago. What happened afterwards that had changed her mind so emphatically? Had she really been imagining that Natsuki was attracted to her?

The door opened once more and Nao walked in. She was careful not to spill the coffee in her hand.

"Alright," Nao announced. "Let's get back to work."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, :D**

** First of all, I really want to apologize for not updating in so long (feel free to throw cyber tomatoes at me, lol, I totally deserve it *preemptively winces*). November and December were incredibly busy for me. In November, I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel, so I could barely fit in sleep as it was (*cough* or homework, :D). After that I needed a bit of a break, lol. Hopefully the massive length of this makes up for it a little. I really hope you guys enjoy it, and I really will try to update more frequently. :D**

** Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed my previous chapters! :D And, as always, thanks to my awesome beta, WouldBeSenpai. :D**

** Oh, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone! :D I hope you all enjoyed the holidays!**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are very appreciated, :D**

* * *

Chapter #4: Successful Infiltration

Natsuki hit the 'sleep' button on her alarm before the first beep fully sounded . Her heart raced quickly as she stared up at her ceiling. It was Wednesday morning – the morning that she would make her first attempt to infiltrate Garderobe's Foreign Affairs Office. But though Natsuki had tried to convince herself that it was the assignment that had prevented her from getting more than five hours of sleep, she –undeniably– knew otherwise.

Natsuki closed her eyes slowly, allowing her fists to clench the white bed sheet angrily. _"I really shouldn't care," _Natsuki told herself firmly for what seemed like the hundredth time. _"So she's homophobic. So what? How does that make her any different from a large chunk of the rest of the world's population?" _Natsuki bit her lip gently, forcing herself to release her tightening grip on the sheet.

Letting a small sigh escape from her lips, she threw off her warm covers and slowly got out of bed. _"I'm just not going to care then," _Natsuki decided finally. She confidently strolled over to the small dresser across the room. Wondering what exactly a janitor wore to work, Natsuki finally decided on a pair of beige pants and a white dress shirt. It was formal, but hopefully not too formal that it would be considered overkill. She got changed quickly, and walked over to the bathroom to splash some cool water on her face.

Her stomach tightened nervously as her mind –once again– wandered back to the conversation that she had overheard the previous day. Frustrated, Natsuki glanced up at her reflection – as if daring it to even try to suggest that she cared about what Shizuru said or thought.

"Why am I letting her get to me?" she grumbled. After a moment, Natsuki sighed once more, though her sigh turned into a frustrated growl half-way through. She quickly finished getting ready, and headed out to the Garderobe agency.

* * *

Natsuki walked through the front doors wearily. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Shizuru again so soon, not to mention having to work undercover with her.

"Kruger-san," Nao greeted her with a sly smile. She was stretched out on one of the waiting-room chairs. Chie glanced up from the front desk. She shifted the phone she was using from her left ear to her right, and grinned at Natsuki before turning back to her computer.

Natsuki nodded and walked over to Nao with a small smirk on her face. This was one thing she _had_ been looking forward to.

"Is there something wrong, Zhang-san?" Natsuki asked Nao innocently. "I wasn't exactly expecting a greeting party." She studied Nao's mildly annoyed reaction and struggled to conceal a smile.

Nao grinned, but just gave her a small shrug. "Well," she began after a moment. A devious smile formed on her face. "I thought that I'd make sure you'd get in okay."

Natsuki crossed her arms with a gentle smirk. "Alright then, Agent Zhang," she replied confidently. "Would you care to show me how it's done?"

"I knew it was you," Nao stated accusingly. She sat up and pointed a finger at Natsuki, though her exaggerated annoyance was betrayed by the grin on her face. "You disabled my key card."

"Did I?" Natsuki asked, locking her own green eyes with Nao's. She held the gaze for a couple seconds, before a full smirk played out freely on her face. She _had__,_ of course, spent half an hour after work yesterday reprogramming part of the system to exclude Nao's card alone. Natsuki studied the look of surprise and amusement on the redhead's face curiously. Had Nao really believed that she wouldn't figure it out? Well, more specifically, had Nao really believed that Natsuki wouldn't overhear her gloating to well over half of the building? " I don't know what you're talking about," Natsuki declared finally – her smirk widening.

A similar smirk formed on Nao's face. "Not bad, Kruger-san," she finally replied. "I'm impressed." She got up from her chair and grinned at Natsuki before ripping the key card right off of Natsuki's jacket.

Natsuki watched her walk over to the door with raised eyebrows. _That was it?_ _Okay, that was a little anti-climactic._ She followed Nao over to the door, grabbed her card back when Nao had swiped it, and pressed her thumb onto the small pad.

"I'd probably be a little more annoyed," Nao informed Natsuki with a growing smirk, "but after seeing what you're going to have to wear, I really can't help but feel sorry for you." She grinned at the look of unconcealed shock on Natsuki's face, and walked through the door with a satisfied expression.

Natsuki stood frozen for a moment. What was wrong with what she was wearing? She snapped out of her daze just in time to wedge her foot between the door and the frame before it closed. Growling just barely loud enough to be audible, Natsuki followed Nao down the long hallway.

"Agent Masashi is still working on cleaning up the video feed," Nao called over her shoulder as she walked. "Thanks to Hallard-san's persuasive recommendation, the Foreign Affairs Office has just finished upgrading their security system. Naturally, the team sent in to upgrade it for them was a highly-trained team of our second-class agents."

"That should make Masashi-san's job easy," Natsuki replied. Once again, she was impressed by the level of thought that had gone into the operation. By setting up the system itself, the agency insured that it had access to all of the video feeds.

"He has Viola-san to thank for that," Nao scoffed. "I don't see why she has to make his job so easy for him."

Natsuki would have smiled in response, but the mention of Shizuru's name reminded her just how nervous she was. "Her idea?" Natsuki replied, after clearing her throat so her voice sounded stronger.

"Yep," Nao nodded. "And she has a team out right now setting up an external router to boost the signal right to us. With any luck, Masashi-san and I can just stay right where we are."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows at Nao. "Really?" she asked, a little surprised. "We can boost it that far?"

"With strategic 'telephone pole maintenance', I don't see why not," Nao replied with a grin. "Or did you really think camping out in black vans was Viola-san's style?"

Before she could stop herself, she pictured Shizuru wearing a massive set of headphones, squinting at a screen with horrible resolution, and holding a box of donuts on her lap. Natsuki nodded in agreement with a small smile on her face, but once she recalled the conversation that she had overheard Shizuru and Tomoe having, her smile faded instantly.

By the time that they reached their usual room, Natsuki's stomach felt like it was about to implode. Nao walked though the door with no hesitation, and Natsuki attempted to do the same.

Shizuru looked up at the door with masked concern. She inhaled slowly as Nao walked into the room. Natsuki followed, though the navy-haired woman kept her eyes firmly planted on the floor.

There was a short pause, before Shizuru trusted herself to speak. "Good morning," she said softly. When Natsuki looked at Takeda instead of her, Shizuru decided to be a little more specific. "Did you sleep well, Kruger-san?" she asked. Shizuru waited with baited breath as Natsuki finally turned to face her.

"Why wouldn't I?" Natsuki snapped quickly in response, before she could stop herself. Takeda and Nao turned to look at Natsuki in mild surprise.

Shizuru was unable to ignore the accusing glare that Natsuki seemed to be directing at her. She locked eyes with Natsuki as her heart raced uncontrollably. Did this have something to do with why Natsuki wouldn't allow her to use her first name? _"It... it seems I __**have**__ done something to offend her," _Shizuru decided as a sinking feeling settled—uncomfortably—in the pit of her stomach. _"I believe that yesterday I may have been far too insistent." _Truthfully, Shizuru couldn't remember the last time that she had pursued a woman so actively. She had probably startled Natsuki quite a bit.

Natsuki's eyes widened temporarily, when she realized that the other three agents were staring at her. _"Subtle, Natsuki," _Natsuki mentally hissed. "I mean," Natsuki rolled her eyes as she thought quickly, "I'd seriously be better off sleeping on the floor than on the hotel bed I have to use."

"It's that bad?" Takeda laughed – buying her excuse easily. Natsuki nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. Nao and Shizuru, however, weren't quite so easily convinced.

"Oh, Viola-san, I found that file you asked for." Takeda slid a thin folder across the table to Shizuru. Shizuru nodded her thanks, and flipped it open.

Nao stepped in front of Natsuki, blocking Natsuki from Shizuru's view. The tense atmosphere in the room had forced a smirk onto her face. "Maybe if you asked nicely," Nao whispered just loudly enough for Natsuki to hear, "Viola-san would offer you hers."

It was probably a good thing that Nao was obstructing the other agent's views. Natsuki's mouth fell open slightly, and she could feel her face begin to burn uncontrollably. She stared at Nao in complete and utter shock. Had Nao really just said what she thought she had? Did that mean... "_Nao knows that I'm gay?" _Natsuki asked herself frantically. If Nao knew, then so did most of the office by now.

"I'm a profiler, remember?" Nao replied quietly with a grin. "It kind of takes gaydar to a whole new extreme."

Shizuru glanced up from her file – her gaze quickly rested on the two standing agents. What were they doing? _Why is she standing so close to Natsuki? _More importantly, why wasn't Natsuki backing away?

Natsuki's face quickly transitioned from one extreme to the other; her furious blush faded to paleness, in a few seconds flat.

"Relax, Kruger-san," Nao smirked as she studied the raw emotion the younger agent was unable to hide. She was clearly terrified that it would get out. "I'm not going to go blurting it around the office. Actually – to be honest – I don't really care," she shrugged. "I'd just thought that I'd let you know out of kindness," Nao grinned. "Not to mention for the chance to see that look on your face."

Shizuru tried to look back down at the file, but once again her eyes fell on the two women. What were they discussing? For a moment, Shizuru couldn't help but feel a flare of jealousy. She couldn't imagine Natsuki letting _her_ stand that closely.

Natsuki opened her mouth to reply angrily, though she was almost giddy with relief.

"Well," Nao cut her off loudly, "I'll go get the costumes."

"Ara... _costumes_, Zhang-san?" Shizuru asked in an amused tone. Nao turned around to face Shizuru and gave a small sigh.

"Fine, _outfits,_" Nao made air quotes with her hands as she corrected herself. She began to walk towards the door, then stopped. "Well," she clarified, as she pointed to Shizuru, "_yours_ is an outfit. _Hers_ is a definitely a costume." She smirked at the scowl Natsuki gave her and walked out the door.

Shizuru was unable to conceal a small smile. It widened uncontrollably, when she studied the defiant frown that had appeared on Natsuki's face. A moment of awkward silence filled the room, and Natsuki was careful not to look in Shizuru's direction.

"So you and Agent Zhang are all set then?" Natsuki asked Takeda in an attempt to break the silence.

"Of course," Takeda replied with an arrogant grin. "I finished setting up a couple of minutes ago." He stretched his arms out in front of him and sat up a little straighter.

"Good," Natsuki nodded. She gave Takeda a small smile, though it took quite a bit to conceal her annoyance with the black-haired man. _Yeah, cause you had so much to do._

Shizuru felt herself tense up slightly when she saw Natsuki smile. "Surely you haven't done everything already," she challenged Takeda, though her calm smile never left her face.

Takeda looked up at her with a shocked look on his face. "What more do you want me to do, Fujino-san?" he asked. Natsuki stole a glance in Shizuru's direction, inhaling sharply when her eyes fell on the older woman.

"I believe you said the resolution was quite poor," Shizuru replied. She couldn't help but feel victorious, when Takeda nodded sheepishly.

"It's not the best resolution," he admitted. "I could probably clear it up a bit, if you give me an hour."

Shizuru smiled slightly and glanced down at the elegant watch on her wrist. She looked back up at Takeda and nodded. "I'll be generous and give you two, Masashi-san," she replied.

Natsuki studied the clock at the back at the room. It was around five o'clock, meaning that they had two hours left before they had to be at the office. Takeda nodded, then looked over at Natsuki like he was about to say something. After a moment however, he got up and walked to the door.

"Ookini, Agent Masashi," Shizuru called out softly. She felt a little bad for embarrassing him. Had it been _her _that Natsuki was smiling at instead, she knew she never would have mentioned it. _"Ara, how petty of me," _Shizuru scolded herself as Takeda walked out. She liked to think she had more control over herself than that. Still, something about Natsuki seemed to turn self-control into a theoretical concept.

Natsuki winced as soon as the door clicked shut. This was exactly the sort of situation she wanted desperately to avoid.

"Would you like to sit down?" Shizuru asked her quickly. Natsuki turned, watching Shizuru gesture to the chair nearest to her own. "I thought we could go over the employee profiles while we wait."

Natsuki nodded wordlessly. She walked over to the table numbly, though she sat down in a chair across from Shizuru instead of next to her. Quickly, Natsuki grabbed one of the files off of the desk and opened it.

"I'm sorry that you didn't sleep well," Shizuru spoke after a moment. She waited breathlessly for Natsuki to respond; the younger woman was going to great lengths to ignore her.

"It's not your fault," Natsuki replied quickly. She hoped that Shizuru wouldn't be able to tell that she was lying. Keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the folder in front of her, Natsuki turned the page, as if to prove she was reading.

"I must admit that I had trouble sleeping as well," Shizuru laughed softly. Natsuki looked up, just for a moment. Shizuru leaned in closer to her, as if she was telling a secret. "I'd never admit it to agents Zhang and Masashi, but I always find it hard to sleep the night before an assignment."

"Then why are you telling me?" Natsuki asked Shizuru bluntly as she flipped another page.

"I..." Shizuru struggled to reply. Natsuki's outright hostility had caught her a little off guard. "...I suppose I'm not sure," she laughed, though she – in no way – felt like laughing.

Natsuki didn't reply. "_Just don't look up," _she instructed herself. She forced her eyes back down to the folder, though she could feel Shizuru watching her from across the table.

"Na..." Shizuru started, then stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened in surprise, when she realized how close she had come to calling Natsuki by her first name. Natsuki looked up from the folder in equal surprise – her eyes narrowing slightly at the use of her name. "Kruger-san," Shizuru quickly corrected. She hesitated for a moment, before she allowed herself to continue. "Have I done something to offend you?" she asked quietly. Though Shizuru hated to admit it, the words seemed to betray how vulnerable she felt.

Natsuki looked up at her in shock. She studied Shizuru's face, as her heart pounded furiously. There was something about the way that Shizuru had spoke – about the way that Shizuru refused to meet her gaze – that suggested that she was actually quite concerned.

"No," Natsuki replied after quickly recovering. "What would make you think that?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Natsuki winced slightly. Her voice had cracked just enough to reveal that she was lying.

Shizuru forced herself to meet Natsuki's gaze. Though the younger agent was trying to deny it, she clearly had upset Natsuki somehow. Shizuru's stomach tightened nervously as she opened her mouth to speak. "Kanin na," she whispered. "It was not my intention."

Natsuki didn't know how to respond. The sincerity in Shizuru's voice bombarded Natsuki with guilt she knew she shouldn't have. "...It's not your fault," Natsuki finally replied. She bit back what she really wanted to say. She almost wanted to tell Shizuru the truth – that she was gay. But even though the look on Shizuru's face was almost enough to convince Natsuki that she could tell Shizuru anything, common sense told Natsuki otherwise.

"I'm just a little nervous," Natsuki added a moment later. She studied Shizuru's face once more; she could tell that Shizuru knew that her words were forced. Still, Shizuru knew better than to press the matter.

"I understand," Shizuru replied, though they both knew it was a lie. She forced a small smile – one that turned quite genuine when Natsuki smiled slightly back. Shizuru felt more than a little relieved; the tension between them seemed to have dissipated somewhat. _Ara... that's certainly preferable._

The door opened loudly and Nao walked back in. Her hands were quite full, so Natsuki got up to help her put stuff down. Nao gave a small sigh once everything was laid out on the table. Natsuki's trained eyes scanned the various pieces of equipment, stopping abruptly on an article of blue clothing.

"That would be your _costume_," Nao smirked. She leaned over the table, grabbed the blue fabric, and held it up against Natsuki experimentally.

Natsuki's eyes widened dramatically in horror. There was a moment of stunned silence, as Natsuki regarded the blue jump suit in front of her.

"Ara," Shizuru softly exhaled. She concealed a smile carefully and waited attentively to see Natsuki's reaction.

Natsuki's eyes drifted from Nao to the jump suit, then back once more. She raised her eyebrows at the red head – her annoyance clearly plastered on her face. _This is because I'm new, isn't it?_ Still, she wordlessly took the jumpsuit from Nao. Nao smirked for a moment, before turning to Shizuru.

"And this is yours," Nao tossed Shizuru an article of red clothing.

"Ookini," Shizuru replied calmly. She glanced down at the bunched up fabric only for a moment, before turning back to Nao.

"I'll leave you two to get dressed, then," Nao called out as she walked out of the room.

Natsuki glanced down at the suit in front of her, then slowly looked over at Shizuru. Shizuru looked back at her with an amused smile. She stood up slowly from her chair and walked around to the other side of the table.

"I believe these go on underneath," Shizuru said after a moment. She walked over to Natsuki and held out a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt.

"A...arigato," Natsuki swallowed painfully. Hesitantly, she took them from Shizuru. _"Are we really both going to get changed in here?" _Natsuki frantically asked herself. She felt her face preemptively flush as struggled _not_ to imagine Shizuru getting dressed. Her efforts were quite valiant, but extremely unsuccessful.

"Is there a problem, Kruger-san?" Shizuru asked after a moment. The navy-haired woman stood frozen before her.

"N...no," Natsuki stuttered. "Of course not," she added with a nervous laugh. "I um..." she paused for a moment, her eyes locking with Shizuru's. Natsuki froze, temporarily forgetting what she was going to say. "...I'll just change in the bathroom," she finally blurted out.

"...I see," Shizuru replied slowly. She studied Natsuki's face, searching for a sign that something was wrong.

"Okay then," Natsuki gulped. She quickly walked out the door, before she could embarrass herself further. _"Baka!" _Natsuki yelled to herself in frustration. _"That wasn't awkward in the least."_

Shizuru watched the door close with a small frown. Natsuki obviously felt uncomfortable getting dressed in front of her. Shizuru felt her heart sink for a moment. "Ara," Shizuru murmured to herself. "I think this time I may be in too far over my head."

After a moment, she unfolded the red, satin dress carefully, holding it up so she could get a good look at it for the first time. Shizuru's eyes widened slightly as she examined it – though admittedly there wasn't that much to examine. "Ara..." Shizuru repeated to herself. "It's..." she trailed off, searching for a correct word, though the only ones that came to mind were far more likely to be uttered by male teenagers than her. "...elegant," Shizuru finally decided.

She quickly got changed, though there was no mirror for her to examine the result. With an amused smile, she struggled to pull the shoulders of her dress back a bit. It was a little more revealing than she was used to. When she was satisfied, she walked over to the table and picked up the pair of red high heels that matched her dress.

Placing her leg on the chair so she wouldn't have to crouch down, Shizuru slid on the first shoe. She stopped when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Shizuru called out. She paused, waiting for an answer.

"Are you finished?" Natsuki called out nervously from the other side. She shuffled around in her jumpsuit, her face blushing preemptively; the jumpsuit didn't look nearly as bad as she had expected, but it wasn't exactly something that she would call flattering.

Shizuru gave a small smile and glanced up at the door. "Come in, Kruger-san," she replied.

Natsuki cautiously opened the door. She inhaled slowly as she walked in; her eyes immediately fell on the older agent.

Shizuru finished sliding her remaining shoe on, and slowly lowered her leg from the chair. "Ara," Shizuru gently smiled. She examined the navy-haired woman slowly – using the change of outfit as an excuse to let her eyes thoroughly trace her form. Who would have known a jumpsuit could look so attractive? "Welcome back."

Natsuki gulped painfully, as she tried to stop herself from following Shizuru's lead. _"Don't look," _Natsuki recited over and over. Despite her best efforts, her eyes quickly traced over Shizuru's figure. The dress was _very_ form-fitting, and Shizuru had – by far – the best form that Natsuki had ever seen.

Shizuru slid her hands up the halter strap, pulling it back gently. "How do I look?" she asked playfully.

Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She could feel her face rapidly trying to match colors with the dress. Natsuki cleared her throat quickly, and crossed her arms in an effort to look unimpressed. "Where, exactly, are you going to put you gun?" she finally managed to get out. She gave a victorious smile and stood up a little straighter.

Shizuru glanced down at her right upper leg – she had already strapped her holster to her inner thigh. The gun itself was so small that it didn't really pose any problems. Admittedly, she had to place it up a little higher than usual for the knee-length dress, but it was good to know that the dress wasn't so short that her gun was clearly visible. She glanced back up at Natsuki and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "If you really wish, I suppose I could show you."

Natsuki locked eyes with Shizuru, completely missing the meaning of her words for a few seconds. She blinked when she saw Shizuru's smile grow playfully, then glanced down at the area that Shizuru had referred to. She stared for a few seconds, her heart racing uncontrollably as she struggled for something to say. Shizuru let out a small laugh, though her eyes widened quickly after a moment.

"Ugh," Natsuki grunted as the door slammed into her back. She stumbled forward with the impact, though she was – admittedly – grateful for the distraction. "B...baka!" Natsuki hissed, as Nao strolled in.

"Who stands _directly_ in front of a door?" Nao asked her in a very unimpressed tone. She walked over to the table, and gave Shizuru a small smirk before sitting down.

"You have a very charming way of apologizing," Shizuru informed Nao in amusement. "Kruger-san and I were just discussing weapons."

"I just signed hers out," Nao nodded. She tossed a gun filled holster to Natsuki.

"Where the hell am I going to put this?" Natsuki asked her. She gestured to her long pants. She could strap it to her leg, but she'd never get it out. It wasn't like she could conceal it in the small of her back either, considering she was, after all, wearing a jump suit.

"The first-class agent who got these was so ahead of you, Kruger-san," Nao replied. She walked over and pointed to the bottom of Natsuki's right leg. Natsuki turned her leg a little and examined the pant half of her jump suit.

Nao sighed, then crouched down on the ground and pulled on a long zipper sewn into the bottom of the right leg. Shizuru watched intently as Natsuki looked down at her now partially-exposed leg.

"Your gun goes here," Nao explained impatiently. She then reached up to Natsuki's left thigh, and unzipped the zipper lining her left upper leg.

Natsuki glared at her and took a step back. She examined her bare thigh, then looked from Nao to Shizuru, slightly embarrassed. Quickly, she zipped the gap back up.

"And your knife goes there," Nao finished lazily. "Any questions?" She quickly returned to a standing position.

"I guess it's a good thing that this is so baggy," Natsuki grumbled. The last thing that she needed was a large bulge extruding from her leg. "But it's still not exactly the most easily accessible."

"It's better than hers," Nao grinned. She gestured to Shizuru, who nodded solemnly. Natsuki glanced down at her knee-length dress and had to nod in agreement as well. "She'll have to stick her hands up her dress to get her gun out," Nao continued.

Shizuru raised her eyebrows with an amused smile. Nao certainly made a habit of expressing brutal honesty. Natsuki, imaging the scenario, quickly averted her eyes when she felt her face very rapidly heat up.

"Even Viola-san's going to have trouble making _that_ look elegant," Nao snickered. She turned to Shizuru – her smirk growing dangerously. "Of course, I'm sure Shizuru has quite a bit of experience doing that sort of..."

"_Oo__kini,_ Zhang-san," Shizuru cut in warningly, though she didn't bother to conceal the small smile on her face. Natsuki blushed even more and quickly walked over to the table. She unzipped the upper pocket, and slid the thin knife holster around her bare leg, just beneath her shorts.

Nao checked the clock at the back once more. "An hour and twenty minutes left," she announced.

Shizuru nodded and continued to get ready.

* * *

"So," Nao went through one last time. "The microphones will remain concealed at all times, and – hopefully – will allow us to hear what's going on."

Shizuru nodded and watched as Natsuki pulled her shirt out from her chest – making sure the microphone underneath was firmly secured to the inside of her bra.

Natsuki looked up quickly, smoothing out her jumpsuit at the same time. She glanced over at Shizuru, only to find that the brunette was already regarding her curiously. Natsuki quickly lowered her hands, and turned to Takeda. She could feel her face flushing, ever so slightly.

"How do the earpieces sound?!" Nao screamed into her microphone with a small smirk. Both Shizuru and Natsuki jumped.

"Baka!" Natsuki yelled. She held up a hand protectively to her ear – though she was careful not to touch the nearly invisible earpiece – as she glared. Shizuru couldn't help but laugh quietly, but she did shoot Nao an unimpressed look shortly afterwards.

"Well then, looks like we have a go," Takeda laughed. Natsuki glanced over at him with raised eyebrows. His smile quickly faded, and he briefly cleared his throat.

"We have around forty-five minutes to get to the Foreign Affairs Office," Shizuru cut in. "The rental cars are waiting for us, Kruger-san."

Natsuki nodded briefly and took a deep breath. Why was she so nervous this time? "_It's probably just because I'm new," _Natsuki decided. She couldn't help but glance over at Shizuru once more. She definitely wanted to make a good impression.

Shizuru turned – as if sensing her gaze – and locked eyes with the navy-haired woman. After a moment, Shizuru gave her a small smile and nodded reassuringly at the younger agent. Before grabbing her keys off the table, Natsuki gave the slightest nod back.

* * *

The drive itself took only about twenty minutes. Natsuki circled the block surrounding the office so that she and Shizuru wouldn't suspiciously arrive at the exact same time.

"Okay, just one more block," Nao instructed her through the ear piece. Natsuki could practically hear her smirking. Just how many times did Nao think that she could make her drive around in circles?

Natsuki rolled her eyes and attempted to ignore her.

"Hello?" Nao pushed. "Agent Kruger?"

Natsuki groaned, grabbed her cellphone out of her pocket, and flipped it open. She held it up to her ear so that she could speak without the man in the car beside her coming to the conclusion that she was insane. "I'm not going around again," she said firmly. "Four times is more than enough."

Nao's muffled laughter could be heard on the other end.

"How's Shi..." Natsuki stopped abruptly when she realized she had just been about to use Shizuru's first name. Natsuki gave a quick cough in an attempt to cover it up. "...How's she doing?" she continued, shifting the cellphone around.

As she took the keys out of the ignition, her eyes quickly scanned the parking lot in front of her. It was only about a third of the way full. Then again, there were still almost twenty minutes until she technically had to be there. Without _visible_ hesitation, Natsuki quickly got out and began to walk towards the building. She almost stopped for a moment, when her gaze rested on the ground about ten feet away.

A large skid mark streaked the ground before her – the black residue contrasting sharply against the gray pavement.

"Someone was in a hurry," Natsuki mumbled quietly as she walked past. The skid mark stretched right through two of the parking spots, directed towards the exit and originating from another spot. Even this place wasn't likely to make someone flee the parking lot _that_ quickly. Unless, of course, the person fleeing had just shot a man seconds before.

"The skid marks?" Takeda's voice came through loud and clear. "_A little __**too**__ loud,_" Natsuki couldn't help but think, as she muttered confirmation.

"Agent Viola was all over it," Nao cut in. Natsuki opened the door to the office and stepped inside. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed – it seemed that Shizuru was always one step ahead of her.

Natsuki scanned the reception area briefly. There were a few offices branching off from the main room. She quickly turned to her right, regarding the long hallway she already knew was there. She'd had full access to the office's schematics.

It really did just look like a typical office. There was even a water-cooler in the corner. If she hadn't known any better, Natsuki would have never guessed that a murder had occurred there less than a week before.

"Ara, how handsome."

Natsuki's attention was quickly drawn to the front desk. It took all of her effort not to growl at the scene displayed in front of her. Shizuru was already seated at the main desk, though – much to Natsuki's immediate annoyance – she wasn't alone. It was none other than Hayato Ikeda – a handsome man in his mid-thirties, the new Foreign Affairs Aide, and their current primary suspect – that was leaning against the desk as he spoke with her.

"Arigato," the man laughed. For a second, Natsuki thought that Shizuru was referring to him. Instead, Shizuru briefly traced her fingers over the man's expensive looking watch, though she glanced up briefly at the man – as though to suggest that the watch had not been the subject after all. "It was a birthday present," he smiled.

Natsuki took one look at the man's body language and couldn't help but feel anger piling up rapidly. He was leaning in towards her in a possessive manner, feet pointing towards her fully, and trying to look relaxed. He really might as well have been drooling. "_Calm down," _Natsuki ordered herself, when her grip on her keys tightened. Shizuru smiled at him softly, and Natsuki's grip tightened further.

"Well don't just stand there," Nao scoffed through the ear piece. Natsuki refrained from giving the camera in the corner an annoyed look, and began to walk towards the front desk.

Turning to Shizuru with a polite smile, Natsuki cut in. "Excuse me," she began, "I'm new here. Kuga, Natsuki," Natsuki offered her fake last name. If things went well, no one would ever doubt that she worked for a temp agency, but the last name changes were necessary precautions. "I'm from Garderobe Temp Agency."

Shizuru's eyes seemed to light up when Natsuki spoke. "Really?" she asked her. "So am I."

Natsuki allowed a slightly confused frown to play across her face. "I'm just filling in for the receptionist for awhile," Shizuru explained.

"Oh," Natsuki nodded, "I see."

"Are you new to the Agency?" Shizuru asked her. "I don't believe that I've seen you before."

"Yeah," Natsuki nodded. "This is actually my first temp job."

Ikeda exhaled slowly, and both Natsuki and Shizuru could tell that he was annoyed. Clearly, he didn't appreciate Natsuki coming between him and the new receptionist.

Shizuru couldn't help but smile when the younger girl gave her a victorious look. It was almost as if she was glad that she had interrupted Shizuru's previous conversation.

"Fujino, Shizuru," Shizuru volunteered with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you," the man finally said to Natsuki. "I'm Hayato Ikeda, acting Foreign Affairs Minister."

"_Because I had no idea," _Natsuki mentally smirked. She smiled at him and quickly gave a small bow. "It's an honor to meet you," she forced herself to say. Sure, Ikeda was currently single. But that still didn't make it appropriate for him to openly flirt with women he worked with. "_Especially with her," _Natsuki thought shortly after. She blinked for a moment, mechanically shaking his hand, as she realized what she had just caught herself thinking. _"B...because she's new," _Natsuki quickly added, as if making an excuse would invalidate her thoughts entirely.

"I heard about Arai-san on the news," Natsuki added. She wasn't going to waste an opportunity like this to get new information. "I'm very sorry, sir. You must have known him quite well."

Both Natsuki and Shizuru studied the man carefully for a reaction. Ikeda shifted around uncomfortably, and nodded after a moment. "It was quite a shock," he said finally. "I talked to him just hours before it happened."

Natsuki glanced down at the way he rested his hand on the table. His palm was open, facing up – implying from Natsuki's knowledge of body language that he was telling the truth.

"It must be hard for you," Shizuru continued, "to have all his responsibilities forced upon you suddenly." The brown-haired agent watched as he subconsciously closed his fist.

"It will definitely take some getting used to," he replied with a nod.

"You must have been close with him," Natsuki added quietly – her eyes searching for any sign of remorse on Ikeda's face. The dark-haired man just nodded briefly. Natsuki and Shizuru exchanged quick glances. There was no way that this man was upset about Arai's death.

"Well," he said finally, "if you'll excuse me Fujino-san, I have some business to attend to."

Shizuru responded to her fake last name quickly. She nodded, giving him a smile that made Natsuki's anger flare up once more.

"It was nice to meet you, Kuga-san," Ikeda called over his shoulder.

Natsuki glanced around the large room once more. None of the employees were within earshot. "Don't you think it's a little soon for that?" she asked Shizuru. Shizuru couldn't help but notice the incriminating tone in her voice.

"I was not the one who initiated conversation," Shizuru replied hesitantly. She studied the frown on the younger woman's face. "Is there something wrong?"

Natsuki snapped out of it quickly. "N...no," she quickly replied. "Why would there be?" She looked Shizuru squarely in the eyes, as if daring her to suggest that Natsuki had alternative motives.

There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence. An employee that both girls recognized to be the Public Relations manager walked past them, making both women look quickly away.

"Well then," Shizuru said finally, "If you'll just have a seat, Kuga-san, I'll try to find someone who can inform you of your duties."

Natsuki swallowed hard. She could feel her face burn lightly. There was no way that she should have allowed Shizuru to see how upset she was. _Baka._

"Arigato," Natsuki replied with a forced smile. She walked over to the nearest chair and sat down. Her eyes began to glance around the room at anything but Shizuru.

"Are you okay, Agent Kruger?" Takeda's voice suddenly asked her. It was so sudden that Natsuki almost caught herself wincing.

Natsuki glanced up at the camera with visible annoyance. Did he really want her to answer out loud?

"Give me that," Nao hissed angrily. Natsuki crossed her legs in a relaxed pose, as shuffling sounds came through her earpiece. "Ignore him, Kruger-san," Nao instructed. "Just focus on the case."

The main doors to the office burst open suddenly. Natsuki glanced up, eyebrows raised, as a tall, muscular man stormed in. "Who took my parking spot?" he demanded loudly. He glanced around the office, before his eyes fell on Shizuru. "Who are you?" he asked roughly.

Shizuru raised an eyebrow slightly. _Ara, what an entrance. _"Fujino Shizuru," she replied. "And you would be?" Along with Natsuki, she had already identified him as Baiko Sasaki. "_It appears he __**is**__ particularly prone to rash behavior," s_he decided.

"Baiko Sasaki," the man replied quickly. He paused – his eyes tracing Shizuru's form visibly. Even Shizuru was a little surprised that he was doing it so openly. Natsuki bit her lip angrily and shifted in her chair.

"What seems to be the problem?" Shizuru asked him calmly.

"Someone is in my spot," Sasaki replied. His annoyance was sharply displayed in his voice. "Who here owns a white Toyota?" He called out. He began tapping his foot impatiently on the ground.

Natsuki looked up in mild surprise, when he listed off her rental car. She uncrossed her legs slowly and walked over to the man. "It's mine," she replied without a trace of worry in her voice. The small smirk on her face worried Shizuru instantly. Natsuki wasn't exactly submissive, and a large argument was exactly what they were trying to avoid.

Shizuru took a slow breath, as Sasaki turned to face Natsuki. Various employees were already glancing over to see what the excitement was about.

"Are there assigned spots, Sasaki-san?" Shizuru asked as an idea came to her suddenly.

"Not officially," Sasaki answered, "but it's generally understood."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows when the man turned back to glare at her accusingly. If she weren't on a case, she would definitely teach this guy a lesson. "I'm new," Natsuki offered. There was so way that she was going to apologize. There were just some things that she wasn't willing to do.

"Don't park there tomorrow," he told her firmly. His dark eyes locked with Natsuki's dangerously. Natsuki was torn between glaring and bursting out into laughter. Was this guy for real? It was a parking spot.

"Well then, it seems this has all been a misunderstanding," Shizuru intervened quickly. Sasaki turned to face her, and she forced a smile. "Have a nice day, Sasaki-san."

Without replying, he turned and walked into his office. Natsuki turned to Shizuru with a smirk.

A brief static noise sounded into Natsuki's ear. "He really _is_ as intense as his file claims," Nao cut in. Natsuki almost rolled her eyes at the impressed tone in Nao's voice. "Keep your eye on him too, Kruger-san."

Natsuki watched as his office door closed, then turned back to Shizuru with a small smile. "Did you hear what he said?" she asked, "about the parking spots?"

Shizuru nodded – a similar smile forming on her face. "That was certainly a pleasant surprise," she replied. It appeared that she and Natsuki had both come to the same conclusion. "If employees always tend to park in the same spot, it should be easy to find out which car the skid mark came from."

"I'm on it," Natsuki smiled.

* * *

"Hi," a petite, brown-haired woman hurried over to Natsuki. Natsuki recognized her immediately from the employee profiles. She appeared to be a little out of breath, and she quickly checked her watch, as if she was running late. "You must be the replacement custodian," she smiled.

"Hi," Natsuki replied. She got up from her chair and shook hands with the woman.

"My name's Kanae," the woman added quickly. "Norito-san, the custodian whose taking some time off, asked me if I could brief you quickly."

Natsuki nodded, grateful that she could finally get to work.

"He said you're responsible for the offices, bathrooms, the main entrance and the surrounding premises. But he also said that it's impossible to keep this place clean, so don't worry too much if things aren't perfect."

"I'll try not to," Natsuki smiled.

"All the equipment is in the supply room closet," Kanae added. "It's just down the hallway and to the right," she added, pointing in the general direction. "Good luck," she called out as she briskly walked towards her office.

Natsuki didn't waste time grabbing her equipment. She walked over to the supply room, opened the closet door, and wheeled out the large cart inside.

"Any suggestions?" Natsuki asked out loud. The supply room was empty, so she wasn't concerned with talking freely.

"Sasaki's office is empty," Nao answered, referring to the man from the parking spot incident. "I don't know how long you'll have, but it seems like a pretty good place to start."

Natsuki nodded and started wheeling the cart out of the room.

"His office is four doors to your..." Nao began.

"I know," Natsuki cut her off with a smirk. Confidently, she wheeled the cart over to his office and opened the door. She shut the door behind her, and took a couple seconds to take in the room. Natsuki grabbed the large garbage bag from her cart and quickly tossed it down beside Sasaki's garbage can. Without hesitation, she ripped open his desk drawers. After a few seconds, she decided that nothing seemed to be too out of the ordinary. She lifted up some of the papers on Sasaki's desk, pausing after a moment.

"Anything?" Nao asked her.

"Money issues," Natsuki replied as she eyed a couple of bank statements. "Not too surprising."

"That could explain the stress," Nao agreed. If he brought the statements to work, he was obviously more than a little concerned. "I don't suppose there's evidence of a large sum of money being deposited or removed around the time Arai was murdered."

"Nope," Natsuki smirked.

"Anything else the police might have missed?" Nao asked her. "We need to wrap this up quickly."

"Maybe," Natsuki answered – eyes falling on the filing cabinet in the corner. The top drawer was protected by a lock. The navy-haired agent ran over and pulled on the handle. When the drawer refused to open, Natsuki instantly grabbed the lock picks from her pocket, quickly inserted the thin pieces of metal, and bent over so that her ear was next to the lock. Heart racing, she started nudging the lock's pins out of the way.

"He's coming," Nao cut in quickly. "Get out of there."

"I just need a second," Natsuki argued as she maneuvered the picks with increased speed.

"Back off, Kruger-san," Nao demanded. "_Now_."

There was a small click as the office door's handle turned. Natsuki ripped the lock picks out, and grabbed the garbage bag off of the floor. Baiko strolled into the office with a cup of coffee in his hand. When he froze in his tracks, Natsuki glanced up at him with a polite smile.

"Just getting the garbage," she said quickly. Without waiting for his reaction, she finished dumping the contents of his garbage can into her bag. When she was finished she walked calmly around the desk.

Baiko glared at her silently, though he didn't say a word. Instead, he stood by the doorway and waited for her to leave. Natsuki hesitated, then changed her course slightly. Resting her arm on the filing cabinet casually, she turned to face the large man. "I'm sorry, sir," Natsuki began. "I didn't catch your name before."

"Sasaki," he replied suspiciously. Natsuki stretched her arm, absent mindfully resting her hand on the handle as she nodded. Baiko's gaze shifted nervously from Natsuki to her hand. It was – almost – an unnoticeably subconscious gesture. Natsuki hid a smile as she removed her arm.

Satisfied that she had learned everything that she could for now, Natsuki wheeled her cart out of the office. There was clearly something in that cabinet that Baiko didn't want anyone knowing about, and Natsuki was more determined than ever to find out what it was.

Natsuki walked back down the hallway, giving Shizuru a meaningful glance as she shoved her cart to the side. Natsuki walked into the women's washroom and waited. One of the stalls was occupied, so she walked over to the sink and started washing her hands.

Less than a minute later, Shizuru walked in. She smiled at Natsuki warmly, then followed Natsuki's gaze over to the occupied stall. Calmly, Shizuru walked into the stall beside it and closed the door.

There was a flushing sound from the stall beside her, and a thin, blond-haired woman walked out. It took a moment for Natsuki to identify her as Hinako Omori, Arai's personal secretary. A thin layer of perspiration coated her skin, and the woman walked in a way that suggested she was nauseated. Realizing that the woman had just thrown up, Natsuki quickly turned to face her.

"A...are you alright, ma'am?" she asked, concern playing across her face.

Omori looked up at her and forced a smile. "I'm fine, arigato." She splashed some water on her face quickly. Her fake smile widened when she realized that Natsuki was still staring at her. "Really," she laughed, "it's just nerves." There was a small pause as the woman glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. Just for a moment, her smile faded. "I...I think everyone is having a little trouble being here after... after what happened," she struggled to finish. Before Natsuki could say anything more, she quickly walked out the door.

Shizuru stepped out of the second stall and wordlessly met Natsuki's gaze.

"Do you believe her?" Natsuki asked the brown-haired agent. "It takes a lot of anxiety to make someone throw up."

"Do you?" Shizuru countered, her red eyes sparkling. Shizuru walked over and leaned on the counter beside her.

Natsuki gave her a small smile, before crossing her arms. "I make it a point not to believe possible suspects."

"As do I," Shizuru replied smoothly. "Have you found something, Kruger-san?"

"Sasaki's at the top of my list," Natsuki answered. "I searched his office and found out that the guy has major financial issues."

Shizuru opened her mouth to respond.

"Guys?" Nao cut in over both agent's earpieces. "I hate to shatter your moment here, but the bathroom isn't really the most secure location to talk. Two people have walked past already, and they're making me nervous."

"Fine," Natsuki nodded. She thought about it for a moment. "The supply room?" she offered.

"It's deserted for now," Nao replied. "You've been the only one in it all day."

"Let's go," Natsuki grinned. Shizuru smiled back and waited for Natsuki to leave the bathroom. She gave the younger woman a minute head-start to avoid being seen together, and then followed.

When she got there, Natsuki was leaning against a small desk in the corner. The navy-haired woman got up as soon as Shizuru came in, and walked over to meet her.

"As I was saying," Natsuki continued with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "Sasaki is in way over his head."

"Yeah, but that's really not too surprising," Nao answered. "His tendency towards impulsive behavior would make him the perfect gambler or alcoholic."

"What makes you believe that his financial status is linked to the case?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"There's a chance that he could stand to gain something financially by removing Arai from office," Natsuki replied confidently. Shizuru raised her eyebrows and waited for an explanation. "We found out first hand that Sasaki isn't the most sociable." Natsuki rolled her eyes and Shizuru laughed. "But whose the one man that Sasaki always got along with?" Natsuki asked the other agent.

"Ikeda?" Shizuru mused, remembering the files she had read. Sasaki had always gotten along well with the Foreign Affairs Aide. "Excellent connection, Kruger-san," she smiled.

Natsuki blushed faintly, but dismissed her flattery with a small nod. "If Sasaki took out Arai, Ikeda gets an instant promotion. And with Ikeda pulling all the strings, a pay boost for Sasaki could be easily arranged."

"Interesting theory," Shizuru replied with a small smile. Natsuki smiled back with a hint of pride that Shizuru found absolutely adorable.

"Okay, so Sasaki doesn't play well with others," Nao admitted. "And he does strike me as someone who could be pushed to commit murder. But I think we should hold off on the handcuffs a little longer."

"Of course, Agent Zhang," Shizuru replied. "I'm sure Kruger-san will find a way to back up her claim." Her eyes met Natsuki's playfully, though Natsuki couldn't help but notice that her statement sounded more like a challenge.

"Did _you _find anything?" Natsuki replied competitively. She crossed her arms with a defiant smirk.

Shizuru gave her an amused smile.

"Someone's coming," Nao jumped in. "And might I add that having secret meetings in the supply room isn't in the _least_ bit suspicious?" she continued, voice dripping with both sarcasm and urgency.

Natsuki glanced around the room frantically. Nao did have a point, much as she hated to admit it. "Here," Natsuki exclaimed in an exasperated tone. Without thinking, she grabbed Shizuru's arm and pulled her quickly over to the closet where her cart had been stored.

Shizuru hesitated; confining themselves to a very small area probably wasn't the best idea. But when the handle suddenly began to turn, she followed Natsuki into the closet and closed the door gently behind her.

Shizuru turned around to face Natsuki, though she froze when she realized the younger woman was no more than a foot away from her. Natsuki exhaled softly in the stunned silence.

The small closet was illuminated only by the light coming in through the crack in the top and bottom of the door. Nevertheless, Shizuru could make out Natsuki's face perfectly. _A...ara._

Natsuki gulped instantly. _"On second thought, this is __**really**__ not a good idea," _she decided. Trying not to hyperventilate, Natsuki flattened herself as far against the wall – and as far away from Shizuru – as she could. Quickly, Natsuki turned to face the door so that Shizuru wouldn't see her face. Even in the dark light, she didn't doubt that Shizuru could see how red her face had suddenly gotten.

Shizuru took in Natsuki's posture and frowned slightly. After half a minute, the younger woman finally turned to face her, but Shizuru couldn't ignore the shaky way that Natsuki inhaled. _"She is so beautiful," _Shizuru found herself thinking.

The sound of papers shuffling in the supply room made Natsuki tense up even more. Almost as if she had been caught doing something wrong, she turned back to face the door instantly. Frowning once more, Shizuru reached out and gently placed her hand on Natsuki's.

Natsuki stiffened even more, and briefly considered ripping her hand away. Instead, Shizuru began gently tracing her thumb over the back of Natsuki's hand, and Natsuki found herself unable to move.

Unable to stop herself, Shizuru closed the small gap between them. Slowly, she leaned over so that her face was beside Natsuki's. Natsuki stifled a gasp, and pressed herself even more forcefully against the wall. _"Just don't react," _she ordered herself, though it was a struggle to think at all. _"She has no clue what she's doing to you, and it's going to stay that way."_

"Are you alright, Kruger-san?" Shizuru whispered into Natsuki's ear. Her lips were so dangerously close to touching the navy-haired woman, it made Natsuki tremble.

Swallowing hard, Natsuki nodded. There was no way that she trusted herself enough to speak.

"You're shaking," Shizuru continued. She pulled back slightly, so that she could get a clear look at Natsuki's face. Just for a moment, her gaze drifted down to Natsuki's lips.

"I..." Natsuki quickly attempted to moisten her mouth. "I can't handle... small spaces," she lied. _"Baka__," _she screamed to herself. Why couldn't she stop shaking?

"I... I see," Shizuru replied. Though she tried desperately, she was unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She quickly backed up to give Natsuki more space. Foolishly, she had almost let herself believe that it was _her_ that had been making Natsuki nervous. _"Would you rather have Natsuki be scared of you?" _Shizuru asked herself in annoyance. The answer that came to mind was rather startling. _"Yes," _she admitted, though it made her feel queasy. If Natsuki was nervous around her, there was a chance that it would mean that she was attracted to her. Shizuru gently bit her lip, and turned to face the door as well.

"Oh God," Nao exclaimed through the ear pieces. Natsuki and Shizuru quickly turned to look at each other, adrenalin hitting their systems in synchronization. "He's going for the closet!" Nao yelled.

Natsuki and Shizuru froze, eyes wide.

"You need an excuse to be in there," Nao blurted quickly. Both agents furiously ran through ideas, but nothing came up. How long did they have?! "Quick!" Nao yelled. "Kruger-san, kiss her!"

Natsuki froze in terror. Her eyes met Shizuru's in a moment of stunned silence. _"W...what!?" _Natsuki's mind screamed. She opened her mouth to object, but she couldn't force any words out. Even if she could, she had no idea what to say.

Instead of speaking, Natsuki's gaze instantly fell down to Shizuru's lips.

"Kidding," Nao called out a moment later. Her snickering came through the earpieces loudly. "God, I wish there was a camera in that closet."

Natsuki gaped at Shizuru for a very long moment. Her face was already burning painfully. Shizuru had gotten a little flushed herself.

"The coast is clear," Nao laughed. "Oh, and Agent Masashi is _finally _back with my coffee."

"W...well then," Shizuru cleared her throat. Instead of addressing what had just happened, she definitely preferred to ignore it entirely. The look of horror on Natsuki's face was etched painfully into her mind. Numbly, Shizuru opened the door and stepped into the supply room.

Natsuki waited a few seconds before following. _W...what just happened? _Shizuru turned to face the younger woman. The look on her face was perfectly neutral. Natsuki met her eyes slowly, though her heart began to race even more when she realized that Shizuru's eyes lacked their usual sparkle.

"I...I wasn't going t..." Natsuki began quickly.

"It's fine," Shizuru cut her off with a forced smile. It was as if the very idea was disgusting to the younger agent. Her stomach clenched painfully as she glanced towards the door. "I've been away from my desk for too long," she said quietly. "We can reconvene at a later time."

Without waiting for Natsuki to respond, Shizuru walked numbly back to her desk.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys. :D Here's chapter 5. Lol, this is one is even longer than usual, cause I had no clue where to end it (and we all know when that happens I just keep writing until I'm ready to collapse). Lol, I literally fell asleep when going over this today (I'm sleep deprived, but it still can't be a good omen, lol). Hopefully it doesn't have the same effect on you. :D**

**I'd like to say a big thank you once again to WouldBeSenpai for beta-ing this for me. :D And I might as well take full advantage of this opportunity to try and coerce her into updating her own story, _Chimera_, because I'm dying to know what happens (lol, who ever said peer pressure was a negative thing?). :D**

**Thanks also to everyone reading this (and even to those who know how badly I ramble in these things and have skipped right onto the story – I totally don't blame you :D) and to everyone who reviewed last chapter. :D**

**I hope you like it! :D**

* * *

**Chapter# 5: Flirting with the Enemy**

Natsuki tossed the beige rag down with a small sigh. Light reflected off the spotless windows in a satisfying manner; Natsuki paused to examine them with a surprising amount of self-gratification. Who knew being a janitor could feel so fulfilling?

"You do know that you're not actually getting paid to make the windows look perfect, right?" Nao's voice mercilessly shattered the moment. Natsuki bit her lip in mild annoyance, though Nao did have a point. Still, Natsuki needed to keep up appearances.

"Ah, Fujino-san," a male voice came from about ten feet behind Natsuki. "We were just going to go grab some lunch." There was a hesitant pause. "We were wondering if you wanted to come with us," he asked – voice filled with uncertainty.

Natsuki refrained from turning to face the front desk. Instead, she casually picked up the discarded rag and began to half-heartedly wipe the glass pane once more. Quickly, she positioned herself so she could see Shizuru's desk in the window's reflection.

Shizuru was still sitting, but Masumi (the Public Relations Manager) and his assistant were standing over her. Natsuki watched – her heart racing – as Shizuru smiled warmly.

"Ookini," Shizuru replied smoothly, "you are very considerate." Unconsciously, Natsuki began rubbing the window with more force than necessary. Was Shizuru really going to say 'yes'? "But I'm afraid that I really shouldn't leave my desk," Shizuru added after a moment.

Feeling more satisfaction than Natsuki knew that she should have, she watched as the man's shoulders drooped slightly. "W...well is there something that I can pick up for you?" he offered.

"_Just give up,_" Natsuki mentally scowled. Shizuru was definitely anything but attainable. The navy-haired agent gripped the rag tightly – the realization cutting into her sharply like a knife. Her mind traveled instantly back to the closet incident that morning. The uncomfortable look on Shizuru's face was etched into Natsuki's memory with extraordinary detail.

"Some tea would be wonderful," Shizuru replied with a small smile. "Ookini." Natsuki knew that she was just trying to give Masumi a break. The tall man perked up instantly and nodded. "May I ask you something?" Shizuru added.

"O...of course," he replied. The poor man looked quite shocked that Shizuru was actually choosing to continue the conversation. Natsuki was pleased to make note of the way that his assistant shifted around on his feet impatiently. _Finally, someone who's __**not**__ already in love with her._

Shizuru seemed to pick up on the younger man's annoyance as well. "Both of you?" She locked eyes with the assistant and gave him a gentle smile. The man blinked for a moment – as if he didn't believe that Shizuru was actually talking to him – before blushing furiously and nodding as well. Natsuki exhaled sharply and scrubbed more forcefully. _So much for that. _

"I must confess that I'm a little nervous being here," Shizuru continued after a moment. "I remember hearing news of Arai-san's death just last week. I..." Shizuru hesitated for a moment. "Is it true that Arai-san was killed in this very building?" she asked in a tantalizingly hushed voice.

Both the Public Affairs Manager and his assistant looked a little taken aback, but they soon recovered.

"Well...yeah," the assistant answered slowly.

"But the police have assured us that there is nothing to be afraid of," Masumi added.

Natsuki studied the men's reflections quite carefully: Shizuru's forced show of insecurity had clearly given both of them a confidence boost, but other than that, there were no incriminating reactions.

"Well..." Shizuru continued. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and lowered her voice even more. "...You don't believe that someone _here_ could have..." she trailed off – her implications coming through quite strongly.

"Someone working here?" the Public Relations Manager asked. To Natsuki, he seemed just a little too shocked by the suggestion. She didn't know whether it was an act to make Shizuru feel better, or an attempt to divert Shizuru's attention from the office. "No," he replied emphatically, "never."

The assistant turned to him with raised eyebrows but didn't say anything. Shizuru instantly picked up on his obvious disagreement. She turned to the younger man with a questioning look. The assistant turned a brighter shade of red, though he made an obvious show of looking at the P.R Manager as though he had lost it. "Are you kidding me?" he asked with a laugh. "Have you met some of the people that we work with?"

"Ara," Shizuru gave the younger man an intrigued look that pushed him to continue.

"What are you talking about?" Masumi scowled. "You shouldn't joke about things like that."

"What do you mean?" Shizuru urged the younger man forward. The Public Relations Manager looked at the younger man and shook his head slightly.

"Look, I'm just saying," the younger man continued, "there are a few people in this office with serious issues."

"Like who?" the Public Relations Manager scoffed. Natsuki couldn't help but notice the masked look of pleasant surprise on Shizuru's face. He'd practically stolen the words right out of her mouth.

"What about Sasaki?" the young man asked him with an arrogant look. "I heard that he went to Arai-san for a promotion two weeks ago."

"You heard?" the Public Relations Manager asked skeptically. "Do you listen to everything that..."

"He got turned down," the assistant cut him off with a small smirk. "Coincidence, don't you think?"

"That's ridiculous," Masumi sighed. "And that's definitely not a motive for murder."

Both Shizuru and Natsuki silently begged to differ. All it took was someone in the right state of mind, an available weapon, and a temporary lapse of judgment. A small push could send he or she right over the edge.

The assistant opened his mouth to reply, but the Public Relations Manager cut him off sharply. "We should really get going," he said firmly before turning to Shizuru. "I'll be sure to remember your tea, Fujino-san."

Shizuru smiled softly and gave a small nod in return. The Public Relations Manager walked over to the door without waiting for his assistant. The younger man frowned and hurried after him.

When they had left, Shizuru glanced briefly over at Natsuki. The younger woman had been cleaning the same spot for quite a while now. It was a little odd though – Natsuki's gaze wasn't quite fixed on the spot that she was wiping. _"Is... is she watching me in the reflection?" _Shizuru wondered for a moment. The brown-haired agent raised an eyebrow, fixed her gaze on the spot that Natsuki was looking at, and allowed the corners of her mouth to turn up into a slight smile.

Just for a moment, Natsuki's wiping stopped abruptly. Shizuru's smile widened; though Natsuki's back was turned, she could picture the blush forming on the younger agent's face. _Ara, perhaps I was right._

"_B...baka,_" Natsuki scolded herself. "_She knew all along that you were watching her." _Natsuki quickly continued wiping like nothing was wrong, but she knew that her brief hesitation had already given her away. _"It's your __**job**__ to watch her," _Natsuki reminded herself. _"She's not going to think anything of it." _She inhaled slowly and shifted over a little.

The sound of footsteps behind Natsuki made her instantly tense up. Her heart furiously raced, but she continued cleaning. _"Please, let that not be Shizuru," _Natsuki mentally chanted. She soon relaxed when she realized that the sound of the footsteps was wrong; if Shizuru was walking up behind her, Natsuki doubted that she would be able to hear anything at all.

"I think the window's pretty clean by now," a woman's voice came from behind Natsuki. Natsuki turned and immediately recognized Kanae, the woman who had spoken to her on behalf of the office's former custodian.

Natsuki winced slightly, before turning to face her. "It's not bad," she shrugged and tossed her rag back on the cart.

"Are you okay...um," the woman paused. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name before. I was late for a video conference," she laughed.

"Kuga," Natsuki replied. "Kuga Natsuki."

"Well, in case you forgot, Natsuki-san, my name's Miyake Kanae. Feel free just to call me Kanae though," the short woman grinned.

After a brief pause, Natsuki smiled. "Right," she replied. She was a little uncomfortable with the use of her first name, but she wasn't going to say anything.

"Are you okay though?" Kanae repeated. "You seemed kind of... dazed." She pointed to the window for a moment before lowering her hand.

"W...what?" Natsuki asked – her face flushing slightly. Had she really been that obvious?! Even people who _weren't_ elite agents had noticed.

"I could kind of see you from my office," Kanae added with a small laugh.

"Oh," Natsuki laughed in an attempt to recover smoothly. The shorter woman was clearly waiting for an explanation. "I was watching some guy drool over the new secretary in the reflection," Natsuki grinned. As uncomfortably close to the truth as it was, it was the best that she could come up with on the spot.

"Kruger-san!" Nao quietly exclaimed into the ear piece. "Watch it," she added warningly.

"Seriously?" The short, brown-haired woman laughed. She stood a little taller so that she could look at the spot where Natsuki was pointing. "I'm impressed," she laughed after a moment. "How very spy-like of you, Natsuki-san."

"A...arigato," Natsuki laughed, though her heart was pounding. It was her job _not_ to look spy-like.

"Didn't I tell you to leave your 'Ask me about becoming an elite secret agent' sticker at home?" Nao hissed.

Shizuru discreetly watched the two women interact from her desk. They were speaking just a little too quietly for her to hear; all that she could make out was an odd word or two. Natsuki laughed and Shizuru felt jealously immediately flare up inside her. How could Natsuki get along so well with a woman that she didn't even know?

"Anyway," Kanae grinned, "I was just going to round up a few people so we could go get some lunch. Do you want to come with us?" she offered.

Natsuki hesitated for a moment. Should she go with them? It was her job to get to know people, but it could prove useful to have the office a little more to herself.

"Go with her," Nao ordered her quickly. "If you say 'no' now, she's less likely to ask you again."

Natsuki hid her annoyance at being ordered around like a first-class agent, but she presumed that Nao knew her stuff. "Sure," Natsuki nodded.

"Great," the woman smiled. "Let's go get the others." With that, she began walking over to the front desk. Natsuki hesitated for a moment, but when Kanae turned and waved her over, she had no choice but to follow.

"Natsuki-san and I are grabbing some lunch," Kanae told Shizuru. "You want to come?"

Shizuru locked eyes with Natsuki immediately after the use of Natsuki's first name. The navy-haired woman said nothing, but met her gaze evenly.

"...I see," Shizuru replied quietly – her eyes not leaving Natsuki's. Natsuki knew that her eyes were probably playing tricks on her, but – for one small moment – Shizuru almost looked hurt. "I'm afraid my place is here," Shizuru said finally. Her gaze shifted from Natsuki to Kanae. "Ookini for the offer," she added, though her voice verged on revealing her sudden flare of jealously.

_"What a big surprise; she doesn't want to eat with you," _Natsuki taunted herself. After what had happened that morning, it wasn't exactly a surprise. Natsuki was going to kill Nao the next time that she saw her.

"Good luck," Kanae smiled, before walking away. Natsuki opened her mouth to mutter a quick goodbye, but Shizuru glanced back down at the papers on her desk. After an awkward pause, Natsuki reluctantly followed after Kanae.

Shizuru exhaled softly. She glanced up and watched as Natsuki walked down the hall with the other woman. When Natsuki paused to glance back, Shizuru quickly turned away.

"So where are we going?" Natsuki asked. Kanae led her over to the Foreign Affairs Minister's office and rested her hand against the handle.

"We're going to go kidnap Omori-san," Kanae grinned. "She just... seems really off today, you know?" Natsuki studied the shorter woman's face, but didn't say anything. Did Kanae mean 'off' as in throwing up the bathroom, or as in something else? "I think she and Arai-san were pretty close," Kanae continued quietly. "He always seemed like a good man," she added after a moment.

Natsuki nodded, but before she could say anything to lead into a conversation that could prove useful to the case, Kanae opened the door and stepped inside. Natsuki glanced around the room as she stepped inside too. The door to Arai's – though Natsuki supposed it was really Ikeda's now – office was just to the right of Omori's desk. Natsuki couldn't help but notice that it was still labeled 'Hirohito Arai'. There were a couple chairs lined up on the opposite wall – implying that it was a much smaller version of the waiting room in the main lobby.

"...Kanae-san," Omori glanced up and gave a wide smile. Omori's gaze shifted from Kanae to Natsuki, then back to Kanae. She gave the brown-haired woman a questioning look.

"We're getting lunch," Kanae explained, "and you're coming with us." The petite woman grinned – even nodding for emphasis, when Omori's eyes widened slightly.

"I...I can't," Omori stuttered. She put down the pencil that she had been writing with; Natsuki noticed with interest that her hands were lightly shaking.

"Yes, you can," Kanae insisted. Just for a second, her gaze rested on the Affairs Minister's office. "You just need to get out of here for a while," she pushed quietly.

Omori chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement. "Okay," she replied. The word was so quiet that Natsuki almost couldn't hear her at all. Finally, she got up and started to walk past her desk. The movement itself was quite abrupt, and in the process her hand accidentally knocked over a few items.

The secretary took a deep breath, before bending over to pick up the papers on the ground. Natsuki took a step forward and crouched down too. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed a small bottle that had been knocked from the desk. A subtle shake confirmed that there were probably pills inside, but the bottle itself was unmarked.

Natsuki glanced up – pausing when she realized that Omori was watching her. "Here," she smiled and held out the bottle. With trembling hands, Omori reached out and took the bottle back. She locked eyes with Natsuki, then quickly looked away.

Natsuki watched her curiously; what, exactly, was she taking? The agent made a mental note to check it out later.

"I...I'll be there in a moment," Omori told her. "I have to..." she turned to face the office door, "...I have to check with Ikeda-san first."

Natsuki glanced back over at the office door. It would be easy for anyone to just storm in at any time. His office was completely unprotected, but why? Why _had _Ikeda refused the bodyguard that the police had offered him? If Natsuki was going to work in the same place where someone had been murdered the week before, she would have never refused protection. "_Well, not that __**I**__ need protection_," Natsuki smirked to herself.

"Hey, Kruger-san, Agent Zhang has..." Takeda's voice cut off abruptly.

"Hands off, Masashi," Nao hissed in the background. "Go play with your own microphone."

Natsuki blinked. There was a moment of stunned silence from the other end. "That's clearly _not_ what I meant, _hentai,_" Nao rolled her eyes. "Grab another mike and hook it up. You can talk to Viola-san, and I can talk to Agent Kruger." There was a brief pause. "No, _I'm_ talking to her," Nao insisted. "...Because – aside from the idea of you and Agent Kruger _ever_ having sex – it's one of the few things in life that I find truly amusing."

It took _all_ of Natsuki's willpower to stop herself from reacting visibly.

"Did she hear that!?" Takeda demanded furiously.

"No," Nao laughed, though both Natsuki and Nao knew it was an utter lie. Natsuki slowly stood up and forced a brief smile at Omori.

"Alright," Nao spoke finally. "This may sound kinda strange, but I need you to barge into Ikeda's office," she instructed. "Study his reaction."

"_What?!" _Natsuki asked herself. "_Why – exactly – am I supposed to do that?" _The man was going to think that she was insane.

"Just do it," Nao groaned. "I'll explain later."

"_This had better be useful," _Natsuki mentally hissed in the attempt to send Nao threatening messages telepathically. "I'll tell him," Natsuki offered. Without waiting for a reply, she walked straight over to Ikeda's office – pausing only to wince slightly as she ripped open the door.

"Wh..." Ikeda glanced up from the pile of papers on his desk. He was obviously a little shocked by the sudden entrance, but he soon regained his composure. "May I help you?" he asked Natsuki with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," Natsuki replied. She briefly glanced around the large office; nothing seemed particularly suspicious. "Omori-san was just going to go grab some lunch with us, alright?"

"I...alright," Ikeda replied after a moment. "I'll be sure to take all my calls." Natsuki nodded and briefly scanned the room once more. Ikeda hardly ever left his office during normal hours. This would probably be the only chance that she'd get to examine things for a while. "Have a nice lunch," Ikeda continued, when Natsuki didn't leave.

"Arigato," Natsuki grinned sheepishly. The navy-haired agent backed out of the room, and closed the door gently behind her.

"Well that takes care of that," Kanae laughed. "Let's go."

"I...I just have some things to take care of," Omori said quietly. "I'll catch up," she smiled. Kanae hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and began walking out of the room.

Natsuki gave a quick nod as well and then brushed past the shorter woman. "I'm just going to use the bathroom," she told Kanae. "I'll catch up too."

"Okay then," Kanae replied. "We can take my car. Omori-san knows which one it is," she added. Natsuki watched as she walked down the hall, before quickly ducking into the women's washroom.

When Natsuki had made sure that the bathroom was empty, she leaned back against the long cupboard.

"What the hell was that about?" Natsuki quietly exclaimed. "Barge into his office? What sort of protocol is that?!"

An exaggerated sigh came from the other end. "Look, there are no cameras inside of offices, so you're going to have to describe Ikeda's reaction for me," Nao replied.

"What do you mean by reaction?" Natsuki demanded furiously. "Like the fact that he probably believes that I'm mentally unstable?!" she hissed.

"His file does say that he's an intelligent man," Nao smirked. Natsuki opened her mouth to respond, but Nao immediately cut her off. "Okay, look, you don't have time for this, Agent Kruger. How did he react?"

"How do you think he reacted?" Natsuki snapped. "He was obviously a little surprised to see me."

"Surprised as in shoving his chair back and covering his face reflexively in fear?" Nao pushed. "Or surprised as in 'what is the insane janitor doing in my office'?"

Natsuki growled slightly at the second option. "The second one," she replied. "How is this relevant? Because if you just did that to make me look like a total baka..."

"Down girl," Nao replied with a laugh. "Everything that I ask you to do has a purpose. And I don't really think that you need help with that."

Natsuki took a very slow, deep breath. "What about this morning?" she snarled. "What purpose did _that_ serve, Agent Zhang?" she demanded, her mind snapping back to the closet incident once more.

Even Nao was impressed by how menacing the navy-haired agent had managed to sound. "Okay, that was just for my own personal amusement," she admitted with a smirk. "But everything _else _that I ask you to do has a purpose."

"You better hope that you're armed the next time that I see you," Natsuki hissed.

"Anyway," Nao laughed, "that does actually tell us quite a bit. Ikeda inherited both the Foreign Affair's Minister's position and office—meaning that if the murder _was_ related to the upcoming trade agreement, Ikeda would be the next probable target. One would presume, if Ikeda has anything resembling a brain, that he might be a little nervous sitting in the same spot where his boss was offed only a week ago. So when you burst in without any warning, one would also presume that Ikeda would jump, flinch, and/or shriek. Trust me, I've seen him," Nao added with a smirk. "I'd say this guy is definitely a shrieker. Moving on," she continued, "you're description of his reaction leads me to believe that he isn't overly concerned for his own well-being, which – as you might agree – is a little suspicious."

Natsuki closed her now-slightly-open mouth. "O...okay," Natsuki replied slowly. "I do see your point." She could practically feel Nao smirk in contentment at her words. "But," Natsuki added quickly – not wanting to give Nao the satisfaction of her agreement, "what if Ikeda just assumes that the probability of an attack happening in broad daylight is extremely low?"

"That's rational thinking," Nao agreed. Natsuki was just about to smirk right back, when Nao sharply cut her off. "But fear is anything but rational, Agent Kruger," she scolded. A sly smile crossed the red-head's face. "Take – for instance – your fear of rejection."

"I'm leaving," Natsuki growled warningly. Without waiting for Nao's inevitable laughter to sound over her ear piece, Natsuki exited the washroom. She walked back to the office – pausing just outside the door. Omori was seated back at her desk, though the woman inhaled shakily and stood up after a moment. Natsuki took a small step to the side, so that she wouldn't be seen by the other woman. Omori glanced numbly down at the bottle that Natsuki had handed her, and dropped it wordlessly into the garbage can.

The bottle made a loud clank, as it hit the bottom. _"Why would she throw the bottle out?" _Natsuki wondered. It wasn't like it was empty, and – whatever the medication was for – Natsuki presumed that Omori was taking it for a reason.

With a small cough, Natsuki finally walked into the room. Omori glanced up, but immediately averted her gaze. She wasn't quite quick enough; Natsuki had no trouble realizing that the woman was about to cry.

"A...are you alright?" Natsuki asked hesitantly. Should she pretend to ignore the tears forming in the secretary's eyes?

"I'm fine," the woman replied shakily. She brushed passed Natsuki, walked briskly out of the office, and didn't glance back.

Natsuki glanced back at the garbage can, before also taking her leave. The woman's reaction had only reinforced what Natsuki already suspected; she'd definitely need to send whatever Omori was taking in for analysis.

* * *

Though Natsuki had only been gone for about half an hour, it seemed like far longer. Shizuru sat at her desk – unable to leave her post – and ran images of Natsuki and Kanae talking over lunch through her head.

_"They're both women," _Shizuru reminded herself. _"They're coworkers and they've only just met." _She allowed a soft sigh to escape her lips. _"I might as well be talking about Natsuki and myself," _she realized. But – as far as Shizuru knew – Natsuki didn't even like women romantically; it was pointless to get so worked up over a simple lunch. "_Ara," _Shizuru scolded herself, _"all of this is quite unnecessary."_

The sound of the main doors opening interrupted her thoughts. Shizuru calmly watched as Natsuki, Kanae, and Omori walked into the office. Natsuki held the door open for Kanae; Shizuru bit the bottom of her lip gently.

"I'll see you later, Natsuki-san," Kanae called out over her shoulder as she walked Omori back to her office. Natsuki nodded, watching as the two women walked away, then paused to glance briefly over at the front desk. Shizuru's startling red eyes met hers from across the room.

Natsuki quickly averted her gaze. _"Oh, subtle," _Natsuki hissed to herself after the fact; Shizuru had—no doubt—seen her. She forced herself to turn back and give Shizuru a small nod.

Shizuru studied the faint blush that had appeared on the younger agent's face – unsure how to respond. Before she could do anything, Natsuki walked briskly down the hallway and grabbed her cart.

* * *

After a few more hours had passed, Natsuki pulled up the long sleeves of her shirt and checked her watch. It was now 6:22; the Foreign Affairs Office had officially closed twenty-two minutes ago. Most of the employees had already left – a fact that Natsuki was counting on as she entered the small waiting room in front of Ikeda's office. Omori was nowhere to be seen.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Nao demanded. "Omori's not gone, you know. She's just using the washroom."

"I'll be quick," Natsuki muttered. The navy-haired agent walked over to the secretary's desk and took a moment to memorize the placement of the items.

"I'm not going to be able to give you much notice," Nao replied warningly. "The bathroom's right next to you."

Natsuki ignored Nao and continued her search.

"When I say 'next to', I mean like _right_ next to you," Nao emphasized. Natsuki didn't reply. The navy-haired agent walked around the desk so that she could get to Omori's garbage can. She grabbed the bottle of pills from the bottom, quickly twisted off the lid, and dumped a few of the pills into a small plastic bag. She threw the cap back on, tossed the bottle back into the garbage, and went back to checking out Omori's desk.

There were various files scattered on top – most of them regarding the upcoming trade agreement. Natsuki bent down and reached for the first drawer.

"The bathroom door just opened," Nao exclaimed. Natsuki withdrew her hand and instantly took a few steps back. Omori walked in, no more than a second later.

"Hi," Natsuki grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want to worry Kanae-san, you know how she is," Natsuki grinned. "But, I just wanted to see if you were feeling better. You know, after this morning," Natsuki laughed sheepishly – referring to the bathroom incident.

Omori looked more than a little startled. The woman's gaze shifted from Natsuki to her desk. Natsuki quickly took another few steps away from the desk.

"I... I see," Omori replied slowly. "I'm fine, arigato."

"Do you need a ride home?" Natsuki offered. _"Please say no," _Natsuki silently chanted.

"No, I'm alright," Omori forced a smile. She remained standing by the doorway – as if Natsuki had to leave before she could sit back down at her desk.

"Okay then," Natsuki smiled. _"That could have gone better," _Natsuki couldn't help but think. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that the other woman didn't like her. She walked out of the office and grabbed her cart from just outside the door.

"You're giving us all heart attacks, you know that right?" Nao asked.

"I'm going to leave the office now," Natsuki muttered – using a well-placed hand to discreetly cover her mouth as she spoke. "If I stay any longer, I'm going to look suspicious."

"Okay, Kruger-san," Takeda's voice buzzed in her ear a moment later. "Agent Viola's not quite ready to leave. I think she still has a bit of work to finish." Natsuki wordlessly wheeled her cart into the supply room and let the door close behind her. She could feel her face flush as she opened the closet door inside, though she desperately tried to ignore it. Her eyes slowly drifted closed; she could still feel Shizuru's fingers trace patterns on the back of her hand. Slowly exhaling, Natsuki snapped herself out of her daze. She shoved her cart quickly inside of the closet, and briskly left the room.

"_Get a grip," _she ordered herself. "_This is definitely not what you should be concentrating on right now."_

"Going home, Kuga-san?" Shizuru called out softly, as Natsuki walked passed. Natsuki froze, turned towards Shizuru with a growing blush, and nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. "Are you still working?" Natsuki gestured questioningly to the keyboard that Shizuru had been typing on a second ago.

"I'm almost finished," Shizuru smiled. "Well," she paused – locking eyes with Natsuki, "have a nice night." Natsuki's eyes drifted down to Shizuru's lips – watching as they curled into a soft smile.

"Y...yeah, you too," Natsuki replied. _"Leave __**now**__," _Natsuki ordered herself, but her eyes remained fixed on Shizuru's lips for just a little too long. Natsuki blinked suddenly – realizing what she had been doing – and quickly made her way towards the front doors.

Shizuru watched her leave with a thoughtful frown. Normally, she'd have no trouble discerning if someone was attracted to her. Natsuki, however, was a very different story. The younger agent's body language and facial expressions were all across the board.

Shizuru's mind wandered back to way that Kanae had called Natsuki by her first name, and the brown-haired agent sighed. She definitely didn't like what Natsuki was doing to her; under normal circumstances Shizuru had always felt like she was in control. Her training allowed her to read most people and their emotions like they were an open book. But introduce an _incredibly_ attractive woman with the same amount of training, and suddenly things began to get uncomfortably complex.

Natsuki started to walk over to her car, but then hesitated for a second. The parking lot was already close to empty. Natsuki's eyes scanned the large skid mark that stretched across the ground. A small grin formed on her face when she realized that there was now a car parked at the origin of the mark. "Hey, I'm going to give you a license plate number," Natsuki muttered. "I need you guys to check who it's registered to."

"Already got it," Nao smirked. "And you'll never guess who it's registered to."

"What?" Natsuki exclaimed quietly. "How did you already get it?"

"Most Garderrobe agents wouldn't even have to ask if they knew that Viola-san was working with them," Nao smirked. "Don't worry," she added, "I'm sure you'll get used to being second best."

Natsuki growled as she unlocked her car, though she refrained from replying. When she had gotten in, she grabbed her cellphone from her pocket, flipped it open, and held it up to her ear. "So who does it belong to?" Natsuki sighed.

"Our very own Foreign Affairs Aide," Nao replied. "Sound suspicious?"

"Ikeda?" Natsuki replied with a pensive frown. "Well, the way the skid mark is oriented implies that Ikeda sped out of the parking lot either before or after hours. The mark goes right through some of the other spots, so there couldn't possibly have been other cars in the lot. Arai _was_ killed after hours," Natsuki finished.

"True, but wasn't your money on Sasaki a minute ago?" Nao asked. "This suggests that Ikeda took matters into his own hands."

"No," Natsuki replied. "My money was on Sasaki _and_ Ikeda. But if you think about it – about the amount of time that it took the murderer to get in, kill Arai, get the security tapes, and get back out – it makes sense that there might have been more than one person present. Who ever was responsible for Arai's death managed to pull all of that off – very carefully I might add – in a couple of minutes. Having some help would have made all of that quite a bit easier."

"What a very inconclusive rationalization," Nao smirked. "Someone who knew their way around the place well enough could have probably pulled it off too."

"Well what do you have?" Natsuki replied defensively. Her gaze fell down to the plastic bag in her hands. "Oh, tell your analyst I have something for her, will you?"

"Hmmm?" Nao replied. "What do you mean?"

"Some of the pills that Omori has been taking," Natsuki answered. "Any ideas?"

"Antidepressants?" Nao offered. "On the police interviews, she was really shaken up. Or maybe something to help control anxiety?"

"Yeah," Natsuki muttered. "Well, I'll get the pills to you tomorrow."

"Wait, so you really stole pills from a seriously distraught woman?" Nao snickered. "That's a little low, even for you. Not to mention, well, _illegal._"

"She threw them out," Natsuki replied – her annoyed tone traveling through the speaker quite clearly. "But don't you really think that we should know if she's taking medication to control some sort of mental illness?"

"I suppose," Nao grinned. "So you really think that this woman deserves a top place on our list?"

"She's hiding something," Natsuki replied thoughtfully. "So how are things on your end?"

"Interesting that you should ask that," Nao replied with a laugh. "Apparently the other districts have _already _begun laughing at us for reopening the Foreign Affairs office. And I've also been told that – when the news that Ikeda didn't have a bodyguard got out – the look on Director Morioka's face was nothing short of spectacular."

"We can't force security on him," Natsuki scowled. "It's not our fault that he's a complete baka."

"Or – alternatively – guilty as hell," Nao agreed. "But you should know that it's been mutually decided all over the country that our already infamous district is going to fail once again. You should probably also know where our little pep talk came from," she added.

"Who?" Natsuki winced, though she could already guess.

"Director Wong," Nao smirked. "So yeah, Agent Kruger. Feel free to take your own sweet time solving that case."

"I only just finished my first day here!" Natsuki exclaimed.

"That just means that you've already failed," Nao sighed. "Really Kruger-san, try not to make this a habit."

Nao couldn't help but laugh at the menacing growl the other agent let out.

* * *

Natsuki hit the steering wheel in frustration and abruptly stopped her car. This was the third red light that she'd caught in a row.

"Drive faster, Agent Kruger," Nao sighed. "We spent way too long getting you guys hooked up this morning."

It was Natsuki's second day undercover; showing up late on her second day wouldn't exactly inspire confidence, and the last thing that they needed was for one of their agents to get fired.

"I'm almost there," Natsuki growled. "And just for the record, I have six minutes to spare."

"Viola-san got there ten minutes ago," Nao smirked. "And _she's_ wearing heels."

"First of all, Viola-san got assigned a car that goes faster than 30 miles an hour," Natsuki replied defensively. "And secondly," Natsuki continued, "she's driving a car. Heels have absolutely nothing to do with it."

"Have you tried to drive while wearing heels?" Nao countered. "Or do you just avoid anything even remotely feminine?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsuki growled.

"Just get there," Nao laughed. "Every minute that you have in there should be considered a privilege." The redhead hesitated, before continuing. "Agent Masashi and I don't know how long we're going to be able to keep this up."

"What do you mean?" Natsuki frowned. "We have all the time that we need."

"I never realized that you were so naive," Nao smirked. "Agent Masashi just got word from Agent Hallard. Apparently Norito – the Affair's Office's janitor – has been asking some questions."

Natsuki's hands clenched her steering wheel tightly. "What sort of questions?" she asked, though she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted an answer.

"Questions about why our psychologist keeps insisting that he's too traumatized to go back to work," Nao continued. "Naturally – with our luck – this guy seems to be about as far away from a hypochondriac as you can get. The Affair's Office secretary seems to be convinced for now, but there's no telling how long Norito's going to hold out."

"Do you think that he's a threat?" Natsuki asked thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't put it past him to try and show up to work in a couple of days," Nao answered. "And if that happens, we're pretty much done."

"Tell me you've got surveillance on him," Natsuki replied.

"I'm not an amateur, Agent Kruger," Nao smirked. "I've got a second-class agent on him. But I'm telling you, there's only so much that we can do. If he decides that he wants to go back to work, there's nothing that we can legally do to stop him."

"What if we tell him instead?" Natsuki asked thoughtfully.

"That's where I was going with this," Nao grinned. "We're taking a vote. Agent Masashi and I and in favor of telling him. Viola-san just told Agent Masashi that's she on the fence. I don't think it's a great idea either, but..." Nao trailed off.

Natsuki bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well," she said finally, "his alibi is solid. That means that there's nothing tying him to Arai's death. Sure, it's a risk. But if we tell him, I think it gives us at least some control over the situation."

"Okay then," Nao replied. "I'm drafting up a confidentiality contract as we speak. I'll run it by Director Wong, and I should have it for Norito by this afternoon."

"Alright," Natsuki nodded. "Oh, did you send those pills in for testing?" she added as an afterthought.

"No," Nao scoffed. "I sent Agent Masashi to do it. Helene-san has been pretty backed up, but he's going to ask her to make it a priority."

"Good," Natsuki replied. She signaled and slowly turned into the parking lot. "I'm here," she added quietly. Her gaze fell down to the rental car's clock. "And I'm even two minutes early," she smirked.

"Just get inside," Nao grinned.

When Natsuki walked inside, her eyes immediately fell on the front desk. Shizuru glanced up, and her mouth curled into a soft smile. Natsuki exhaled slowly and went to go get her cart.

"Okay, today we want you to focus on Omori and Sasaki," Nao instructed. "I need you to find a way to bring up Arai when Omori's around. Study her reactions, report them to me, and I should be able to tell if her behavior is out of the normal range."

"You do know that she hates me, right?" Natsuki clarified as she wheeled that large cart over to the supply room door. She shoved passed, pushed open the door, and backed the cart out of the room.

"Well – if you can't handle it – I guess we could always have Viola-san do it," Nao replied – a smirk forming on her face. "She certainly seems to have a way with people."

Natsuki scowled. "I can handle it just fine," she muttered angrily.

"Oh really?" Nao replied with raised eyebrows.

As if to prove her point immediately, Natsuki wheeled her cart straight for the small room where Omori's desk was located.

Nao watched as Natsuki wheeled her cart with newfound purpose. With a grin, the redhead switched the microphone connection to Shizuru's ear piece.

"You know, you act as an incredible source of motivation," Nao smirk cut sharply into Shizuru's ear.

"Hmm?" Shizuru murmured. She glanced up as the Public Relations Manager walked in—smiling at him from across the room.

"Good morning, Fujino-san," he grinned. He walked over to her desk and hesitated for a moment. "Have you... um," he paused. Shizuru stared at him for a moment.

"You know, they should really think of excuses to talk to you _before _they actually try it," Nao smirked.

"Have you seen Sasaki-san?" the manager finally managed to get out. He glanced around the office at nothing in particular, as if he was looking for the object of his inquiry.

"I'm afraid that I haven't," Shizuru replied calmly. "Is there anything that _I _can do to help?" she offered.

The Public Relations Manager turned a light shade of red, but quickly shook his head. "Oh, it's okay," he laughed. "He's probably just in talking with Ikeda-san."

"Interesting comment," Nao murmured into the microphone. Shizuru couldn't help but agree.

"Is Sasaki-san good friends with him?" Shizuru asked – carefully trying to get more detailed information. She studied the Public Relations Manager's face as he replied.

"Oh, yeah," he laughed once more. "Some days it seems like Sasaki-san is in Ikeda-san's office more than his own. But then again, the upcoming trade agreement requires everyone to be pretty much on the same page," the man added.

"Of course," Shizuru replied with a small smile. She watched as the Public Relations Manager sheepishly walked back to his office.

"That was... informative," Nao commented. "Talk to you in a few minutes," she added. Quickly, she switched the microphone back to connect her to Natsuki.

Natsuki tentatively knocked on the door frame. Omori immediately glanced up from her work. "W...what?" she stuttered.

_"Nervous?" _Natsuki wondered. "Hi," she smiled warmly. "I just came for your garbage," she explained. The navy-haired agent held up the garbage bag in her hands for emphasis.

"Oh," Omori replied. Natsuki studied the way that her body relaxed – suggesting that the woman was relieved. "Okay," she nodded.

Natsuki walked into the room and picked up the small garbage bin by the secretary's desk. As she tipped the contents into the bag, she could practically feel Omori's eyes on her. _"Now how exactly do I work her dead boss into casual conversation?" _she asked herself. An image of Arai's name on the office door to her right came to her suddenly.

As she put the garbage pail down, Natsuki glanced over at the door. She hesitated, squinting lightly for a moment as she read the name. "Hey," she asked Omori quietly, "don't you think that someone should have that replaced?"

Omori followed her gaze to Arai's name on the door. She froze for a moment, as if it took her a while to register what she had just read. "Oh," she softly replied.

"What was he like?" Natsuki asked thoughtfully. "Did you know him well?"

"Not bad," Nao cut in on Natsuki's ear piece – a mildly impressed tone in her voice. Natsuki hid a satisfied smirk.

Omori locked eyes with Natsuki – her expression just a little too serious. "I'm sorry," she replied firmly, "but I really have a lot of work to do." Natsuki hesitated. Should she press the matter?

"Let it go," Nao quietly instructed her. "Take a quick look at body language for me, but drop the issue. If Omori is involved, we don't want her on the defensive."

Natsuki turned back to Omori, and scanned the woman's positioning briefly. "Sure," she replied. Giving Omori a small smile goodbye, Natsuki quickly exited the room.

"Well?" Nao asked her.

"Her body language is practically screaming 'uncomfortable'," Natsuki muttered. "Her hands were closed, her back completely rigid. Her reluctance to make eye contact is a bit of a giveaway, but what strikes me as the most odd is the thin layer of sweat coating her forehead," Natsuki added. "Oh, I'm sorry," she smirked. "Was I supposed to wait for _you_ to diagnose our suspect?"

Nao gave an offended gasp. "Just for that," she replied, "I'm gonna let Mashasi-san take over when he gets back."

A poorly concealed look of horror crossed Natsuki's face. She opened her mouth to reply, but the static sound buzzing in her ear abruptly cut off – implying that Nao had temporarily cut her voice connection. Natsuki scowled, before grabbing the broom from her cart.

* * *

"It's almost home time," Nao spoke into Shizuru's ear piece. There was a small pause. "Bored?" Nao smirked.

Shizuru didn't say anything, but briefly pried her eyes away from the spectacle in front of her. She glanced up at the camera in the corner of the room. It _was _more than a little annoying being confined to a desk. Thankfully, her coworkers didn't seem to mind interrupting her work to talk, but it was hard extracting information that no one seemed to have.

Shizuru's eyes fell back on the navy-haired woman mopping the floor around the main door. Her gaze trailed down Natsuki's perfect form as she worked, and Shizuru's breath gently hitched. Still, the past few minutes had been _far_ more entertaining than most.

"I didn't think so," Nao answered her own question with a knowing grin. "Watching our new agent do all the dirty work?" she asked. "I know of at least six Foreign Affairs Office employees who would kill to have you look at them with half as much interest. Well, maybe not _kill_," Nao added as an afterthought. "But – then again – that's what we're here to determine."

"Ara," Shizuru replied behind a well-placed hand, "I'm sure that I don't know what you're trying to imply." She quickly turned to her computer and began scrolling over the agenda on the screen.

"Oh, I'm sure," Nao replied – a tone of unconcealed amusement in her voice. "She must be something to have caught _your_ eye, Viola-san," she grinned.

Shizuru bit her bottom lip gently, but chose to ignore the comment entirely.

"Tell me," Nao smirked, "was it love at first sight?"

There was a loud screech, as Shizuru abruptly rolled her chair back. Shizuru barely managed to stop herself from replying, took a slow, deep breath, and reached for a file from the other end of her desk. _"Calm down," _she instructed herself. She took a moment to slow her heart rate back down, before considering what had just happened. _"I was simply caught off guard," _Shizuru decided for her own benefit. Still, she couldn't deny that the words had probably struck her far harder than Nao had intended them too.

Nao paused – her finger hovering over the button that would connect the microphone to Shizuru – and grinned. That was certainly a more spectacular reaction than she had expected. And from _Shizuru_, no less; the brown-haired agent had come dangerously close to showing actual emotion. Wisely, Nao decided that she should let it go. When she pushed the button once more, she was focused back on the case.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Nao continued. "I sent out Agent Mashashi to talk to Norito about an hour ago. Director Wong gave us the go ahead without too much convincing. He just really, _really_ wants this case solved"

"Ookini," Shizuru murmured softly – making Nao wonder if Shizuru was thanking her for the new information, or for dropping their previous conversation topic.

"I've also been thinking about Ikeda," Nao added. "We need to get inside his office and his head, and I think I've come up with a way to do both simultaneously." Nao knew she had intrigued the other agent, though Shizuru couldn't openly respond. "See how Agent Kruger is packing up her things?" Nao asked. "It just turned six, so she's going to put everything back, get into her car, and park it a block away. When almost everyone has left, we're going to sneak her back inside. Now Ikeda is used to working late, but you're going to take care of that for us," she grinned.

Shizuru wasn't sure that she like the tone in the other woman's voice. _I am, am I?_

"Being the friendly secretary that you are, you're going to ask Ikeda to leave his work for long enough to go out to dinner with you," Nao continued. "And, being as helpless as most men – and even some women – seem to be around you, he's going to agree. Which – of course – leaves the office clear for Agent Kruger to snoop around to her little heart's content."

Shizuru hesitated for a moment. It would be almost impossible to pretend that the dinner was just a friendly get together, and considering that Ikeda was a suspect in one of the largest murder cases ever to hit Garderrobe, Shizuru wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of leading him on.

"It's for the greater good," Nao added as if sensing the brunette's reluctance.

"I suppose," Shizuru sighed softly. She glanced up to smile as one of the employees waved goodbye to her from the entrance. Her gaze shifted back to Natsuki, and Shizuru watched as the navy-haired woman finished up her work.

Nao switched the setting back over to Natsuki's ear piece. "Okay," Nao's voice sounded into Natsuki's ear. "I've filled in Viola-san. The place should be clear in about twenty minutes or so."

"Got it," Natsuki replied quietly. She wheeled her cart down the hallway and quickly put it away. Natsuki briefly glanced down at her watch, then started to make her way to the exit.

Anxiously, Natsuki got into her car and dropped it off on the closest side street. She wanted to return right away, but Nao insisted that she should wait a couple of minutes before walking back. By the time that Natsuki returned, there were only four cars left in the parking lot.

"Watch out," Nao warned as Natsuki neared the entrance. "Omori's leaving."

Without pausing to think, Natsuki instantly flattened herself against the brick wall a few feet to the left of the entrance. Omori walked out of the door, seconds later.

Natsuki waited for her to get around ten feet away, before quickly entering the building. Her heart pounded, as she glanced over at the front desk. Shizuru remained seated, but smiled at her from across the lobby. Before she could stop herself, Natsuki grinned back reflexively.

Shizuru felt her face heat up lightly, and her smile grew. "_Ara," _Shizuru thought to herself. Was Natsuki really that happy to see her?

Natsuki's eyes widened slightly when she realized that she was effectively grinning like a baka, and the navy-haired agent quickly looked away.

"Yes, stand in the middle of the lobby, Agent Kruger," Nao cut in sarcastically. "No one will ever notice you there."

Natsuki took full advantage of the deserted lobby, and turned to glare directly at the camera. Nao's laughter rang through Natsuki's ear piece shortly after. Without wasting any more time, Natsuki walked to the woman's washroom and waited inside.

A few agonizingly long minutes passed. Natsuki paced back and forth inside the washroom – her stomach tightening nervously as she waited. The more time that she took to consider what was about to happen, the more anxious she became. As much as she would have loved to convince herself, it wasn't the fear of being caught that was getting to her.

"Okay," Nao interrupted her thoughts. "Except for you, Viola-san, and Ikeda, the office is entirely empty."

"Look, Agent Zhang..." Natsuki began.

"Hold that thought," Nao cut her off. "Fujino-san is on her way to talk to Ikeda."

"What?!" Natsuki asked – her panic kicking in sharply. She quickly walked over to the bathroom door and paused. After taking a deep breath, she shoved the door open.

There was a hollow 'thump' as the door collided with something halfway. A stifled gasp came from the other side. Natsuki froze – blinking a few times before squeezing out of the washroom through the half-opened door.

Shizuru stood frozen in the hallway behind it. Natsuki's eyes widened as her gaze shifted from Shizuru's surprised face down the leg that was still in contact with the washroom door. Natsuki's mouth fell open as she examined the red mark that was rapidly forming on Shizuru's smooth skin. _"Baka!" _her mind screamed in sharp realization.

"V...Viola-san..." Natsuki began, but Shizuru quickly raised a hand to Natsuki's mouth to silence her. Shizuru glanced over at the next room over, but there was no movement. It appeared that Ikeda hadn't heard anything.

Keeping her hand gently over Natsuki's mouth, Shizuru opened the washroom door the whole way, and led Natsuki inside. The door closed softly behind them.

Natsuki's green eyes met Shizuru's questioningly. Slowly, both Shizuru and Natsuki glanced down at the hand clamped over Natsuki's mouth. Shizuru lowered her hand after a moment – her fingers gently brushing against Natsuki's lips as she did.

Natsuki immediately took a step back to put some distance between her and Shizuru.

"Is there a problem, Kruger-san?" Shizuru asked with an amused look on her face.

"S...sorry," Natsuki stuttered. "I didn't mean..." Her eyes fell down to Shizuru's leg, as she trailed off.

"It's perfectly alright," Shizuru replied – a hint of a smile forming on her face. "You really do seem to have particularly bad luck with doors," she teased gently. Natsuki scowled, and Shizuru's smile widened. "Did you wish to speak with me?" Shizuru asked Natsuki, though it was almost impossible to force her mind back to the case.

"I...yeah," Natsuki replied. Shizuru watched as an unmasked look of concern formed on the younger woman's face. Natsuki hesitated before speaking. "I don't know if it's such a good idea anymore," she finally spoke.

"...You _don't_ wish to speak to me?" Shizuru clarified with raised eyebrows.

"No, not that," Natsuki quickly replied. _"Baka," _Natsuki scolded herself. "_Way to clarify things." _"I don't know if this _plan_ is a good idea anymore," she corrected.

"Why not?" Shizuru frowned slightly. She took a small step towards Natsuki. "Agent Zhang said that you agreed with the plan."

"She did," Nao cut in over Shizuru's ear piece. "I don't know what's wrong with her now."

Shizuru ignored the comment from Nao entirely. "Well, I did," Natsuki replied hesitantly. "But now I'm just... I'm not so sure." She took a slow breath. Why was this so embarrassing to admit? Her concern _was_ valid, wasn't it?

"What's wrong, Natsuki?" Shizuru softly asked. When she realized that she had accidentally used Natsuki's first name, she involuntarily winced. Natsuki, on the other hand, didn't even notice; the words had come out sounding so natural.

Natsuki opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. She hesitated for a moment – searching for the right words to say. "I just..." Natsuki paused. "...I don't want to leave you alone with him," she finished.

Shizuru's eyes widened slightly, but a small smile formed on her face. This is what Natsuki had been worried about?

"I mean..." Natuski's eyes widened as well. "...Not because I don't want you two to..." Natsuki tailed off, and a slight blush formed on her face. "...I...I mean, because he's a possible murderer," she quickly clarified.

Shizuru studied the faint red tint to Natsuki's cheeks and inhaled sharply. The younger woman was clearly flustered, but that only made her seem more alluring. "Ookini," Shizuru whispered – her eyes locked firmly with Natsuki's.

Before she could restrain herself, Shizuru raised her hand up to brush a stray strand of hair from the younger agent's face. Natsuki froze – trying desperately not to blush – as Shizuru pulled her hand back.

"Ookini," Shizuru repeated after clearing her throat, "but I assure you, Kruger-san, I'll be perfectly fine."

"Yeah, but Ikeda is a _murder_ suspect," Natsuki argued. "Asking him out to dinner probably isn't the safest thing to do. Look, I don't mind hanging out in here until he decides to leave," Natsuki offered.

"I assure you, I can handle myself," Shizuru gently laughed. "It will be a good opportunity to gain some insight into his character. And Agent Zhang has promised me that I'll have a surveillance team to back me up."

"But..." Natsuki protested. She really didn't want Shizuru to have to take the risk. If he caught her off guard, who knew what could happen?

"If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think that you were jealous," Shizuru teased. Though the playful smile on her face implied otherwise, Natsuki's reaction meant more to Shizuru than Natsuki knew.

"W...what?" Natsuki stuttered. Had Shizuru realized how attracted Natsuki was to her?

"I..." Shizuru studied the defensive look on Natsuki's face – her heart sinking. "Ikeda-san is an attractive man, is he not?" Shizuru added, though it was almost painful to force the excuse out.

"Oh," Natsuki laughed – relief hitting her solidly. "I...I guess," she nodded. _"Wait," _Natsuki realized, "_does that mean that __**Shizuru**__ finds him attractive?" _Her chest clenched painfully – making it far harder to breathe than it should have been. "...Don't you think so?" she asked. The words were barely audible. Breathlessly, she waited for Shizuru's response.

Shizuru numbly moistened her suddenly dry mouth. "Well," she replied, "_objectively,_ he is a very handsome man." Though her words were carefully chosen to neither confirm nor deny her attraction, Natsuki immediately assumed the worst; Shizuru was attracted to Ikeda.

"Yes, his face is very symmetrical," Nao finally cut in – her annoyance coming through loud and clear. "So was Arai's. That is, until someone like Ikeda blew a hole through the middle," she snapped. "Are you two really having this discussion? I mean, did you just up and forget the apparently-not-so-obvious factor that makes this entire discussion completely and utterly ridiculous…he's a _suspect_." Nao sighed; she really had tried to stay out of their little angst marathon, but they did have a time-sensitive case to work on.

Natsuki's face flushed a deeper shade of red, when she realized that Nao had been listening. _"Baka. Of course she was listening," _Natsuki realized. _"She doesn't really have a choice." _Shizuru's face heated up slightly too. The two agents just stared at each other for a moment – painfully aware of how close the other was – until Natsuki finally cleared her throat.

"Well, just be careful," Natsuki said finally. Shizuru nodded wordlessly, and gave Natsuki one last glance before walking out of the bathroom.

As soon as the door closed, Natsuki slumped against the wall. "Baka," she hissed, as she ran her hand through her hair.

"I agree," Nao smirked. "Just try and stay focused on the case for now." Natsuki exhaled slowly, and went back to pacing back and forth in the washroom.

Shizuru paused to straighten out her dress, before walking into the small waiting room that connected Ikeda's office to the hallway. Confidently, she walked over to the office door, and knocked.

"May I come in, Ikeda-san?" she called out from the doorway. Faintly, Shizuru could hear the sound of a chair rolling back. A couple of seconds later, the door opened.

"Fujino-san," Ikeda smiled warmly. "I apologize; I thought that I was the only one still here."

"Oh, I was just resolving a scheduling conflict," Shizuru laughed. She made a show of hesitating visibly.

"Is something wrong?" Ikeda frowned. He took a step towards Shizuru and studied her face.

"I just..." Shizuru trailed off. She bit her bottom lip gently, and locked eyes with Ikeda. _"Just pretend that you're talking to Natsuki," _she instructed herself. She could feel her cheeks begin to lightly heat up. "Would you join me for dinner?" she asked shakily

Ikeda's eyes widened slightly as he registered what she had just said. His back straightened immediately and he gave a small chuckle. "Oh, is that what this is about?" he asked her – an amused smile forming on his face.

It took quite a lot of control for Shizuru to keep her face expressionless. This man was definitely more than a little arrogant.

"I'll tell you what," Ikeda grinned. "Give me ten minutes to finish up and you just might have a deal."

"Of course," Shizuru replied with a smile – though in actuality she was anything but pleased. Was this man really going to make her wait? "I'll be at my desk," she called over her shoulder, as she walked out of the room. As soon as the office door closed behind her, Nao's laughter sounded through her ear piece.

"Wow," Nao laughed. "Has that ever happened before? Someone with the ego to both believe that you're interested in them _and_ ask you to wait?"

Shizuru sighed gently as she walked down the hallway. "Ara," she mused, "that was a little demeaning."

Nao grinned. "Yep," she laughed. "But it also confirms just how much of a control freak Ikeda really is.

"Does it?" Shizuru replied. She walked over to her desk and carefully sat down in a way that wouldn't wrinkle her dress.

"Of course," Nao replied. "Ikeda is an attractive and powerful man, so I'm guessing he's pretty used to being in charge. When you did the unexpected and made the first move, you probably threw the man a little off balance. I'm guessing that he asked you to wait in an effort to establish his dominance over your growing relationship."

"Is that your professional opinion?" Shizuru asked in an amused tone. Nao could make even the smallest gesture into a deep, underlaying psychological default.

"All of my opinions are professional," Nao frowned. "But this just confirms that Ikeda's a little power hungry. And – if you catch my drift – there's a pretty big power leap from Foreign Affairs Aide to Foreign Affairs Minister."

"I suppose you're right," Shizuru replied thoughtfully.

Fifteen minutes later, Ikeda finally left his office. "He's on the move," Nao smirked. "And only five minutes later than he said he would be."

Shizuru sighed, but smiled warmly when Ikeda walked into the lobby. She really didn't want to go through with this.

"Okay," Ikeda grinned. "I've got the perfect place to take you to."

"Do you?" Shizuru replied, though Nao was the only one who detected the cynicism behind her statement. Together, Shizuru and Ikeda walked through the front doors..

"I've just got to lock up," Ikeda told her. He pulled a large set of keys out of his pocket and locked the external doors. Shizuru studied the keys with slightly raised eyebrows.

"So Ikeda has his own keys?" Nao asked. "That would explain the clean entrance and exit when Arai was killed." She paused for a moment – a smile forming on her face. "Well," she finally added with a smirk, "you two have fun now." She switched the microphone interface back to Natsuki's ear piece. "Okay, Agent Kruger. The place is all yours."

"Got it," Natsuki replied. She shoved open the bathroom door and immediately headed for Ikeda's office. "Okay, I'm in," Natsuki called out when she was inside the reception area. The navy-haired agent grabbed the clear gloves from her back pocket and slid them on. "You know what?" Natsuki asked Nao. "I'm going to check out Omori's desk when I'm here. Something about that woman just doesn't seem right."

"Go for it," Nao replied. Natsuki walked over and crouched down in front of the secretary's desk. She opened the first drawer slowly, so that she wouldn't jostle whatever was inside. The drawer contained a large binder full of information about the upcoming trade agreement. After scanning it briefly, Natsuki put everything back and reached for the second.

She pulled open the drawer carefully – her eyes falling immediately on another small bottle. It was the same type of bottle as Natsuki had taken the pills from, but – unlike the previous one – this one had a label. "I think I have something," Natsuki called out – excitement in her voice. She picked up the bottle and breifly scanned the label.

"What is it?" Nao replied anxiously.

Natsuki took one look at the printed words and winced preemptively. Slowly, Natsuki lowered the bottle back in and closed the drawer. "We are such complete bakas, Agent Zhang," she concluded.

"What?" Nao grunted. _This_ was Natsuki's startling revelation?

"Ever heard of morning sickness?" Natsuki asked bitterly. "Omori wasn't throwing up because covering up a murder was too much for her to handle," Natsuki sighed. "She's pregnant, Agent Zhang."

Nao groaned loudly. "You have got to be kidding me," she exclaimed. "There goes one of our top suspects." Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense. Omori probably didn't want anyone to know that she was pregnant. She wasn't married; such things were usually frowned upon. That explained her reluctance to have too much contact with Natsuki. Natsuki was the only one who had seen enough to put the pieces together.

"Well, I guess that's one less desk that I have to search," Natsuki offered. "You might as well tell Helene-san to forget about those pills. I'm guessing that they weren't the most effective anyway," she added as an afterthought.

"I'm on it," Nao sighed. "You should probably move on into Ikeda's office then."

"Yeah," Natsuki replied. She still couldn't believe that she had been so off base. Natsuki sighed, as she walked over to Ikeda's office.

Without pausing, Natsuki walked over to Ikeda's desk and carefully took in the placement of the various items displayed. When she was certain that she could make sure everything went back in it's rightful place, she started carefully moving some of the things around.

There didn't seem to be anything too out of the ordinary. Natsuki flipped through a few folders, but nothing stood out. Her eyes fell on the small day planner sitting on the corner of Ikeda's desk. Natsuki reached out and flipped the planner open to a few days before Arai's death. There were a few meetings scheduled and one telephone conference, but no 'plot to kill my boss' notes written in on the margins.

"See anything?" Nao asked.

"Not yet," Natsuki replied. She flipped to the exact date of Arai's death, and paused. "Hey, Agent Zhang," she began, "remind me, what was Ikeda's alibi on the night that Arai was shot?"

"Apparently, he was at home reading," Nao replied.

"Was he?" Natsuki smirked. "Because according to this, Ikeda had a seven o'clock meeting with Sasaki that night."

"Seven?" Nao frowned. "But that's an hour passed closing time. Was it scheduled to take place at the office?"

"It doesn't say," Natsuki replied. "The note's crossed out like the meeting was canceled. But what if it the meeting went ahead as planned?" she grinned.

"Then we've just managed to place Sasaki and Ikeda at the scene of the crime an hour before it happened," Nao grinned. "Nice catch, Agent Kruger."

"Should I bag this?" Natsuki asked Nao. "I could rip the page out, but if Ikeda realizes that it's missing before we get solid proof, we're going to be in trouble."

"No, just leave it for now," Nao replied. "But snap a picture just in case. Even if we can't fingerprint it right now, we can always get a text analyst to prove that it's Ikeda's writing."

"Okay," Natsuki nodded. She reached into her right pocket and took out the small camera that she had been carrying. Carefully, Natsuki took a few close-up pictures of the writing, then put her camera away. "I'm going to keep looking." The navy-haired agent walked over to the large cabinet in the corner of the room, then started to rummage around inside. "So... how's Viola-san doing?" Natsuki attempted to ask casually.

"Well," Nao grinned, "Ikeda's not cheap. And she actually sounds like she's having a good time."

Natsuki nearly dropped the sheet of paper in her hand. "What?!" she exclaimed. "You... you're going to tell her about what I just found, right?"

Nao laughed. "I didn't say that she was actually _having_ fun," she replied. "Viola-san is just very good at what she does."

"O...oh," Natsuki replied. _"This is so stupid," _Natsuki couldn't help but think. _"I'm __jealous of a __**murder**__**suspect.**__ Not to mention the fact that I never had a chance with Shizuru to begin with."_

"Just keep looking," Nao grinned.

Wordlessly, Natsuki continued her search. Crouching down, she reached for a small, unmarked folder. She flipped it open – her eyes scanning over the pages. When she had flipped through a few pages, Natsuki stopped abruptly.

"Guess what I just found?" Natsuki smirked. "Looks like Ikeda keeps his own private collection of those threatening letters that Arai got sent."

"Does he?" Nao grinned. "That's more like it. Anything to suggest that he was the one who sent them?"

Natsuki hesitated; Nao was right. Just because Ikeda had the letters in his possession didn't mean that he sent them. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. Natsuki quickly snapped couple of pictures with her camera, then put the folder back. "I have an idea," she muttered.

"Hmm?" Nao replied.

Natsuki walked over to Ikeda's desk and opened the top drawer once more. A grin formed on her face, when she found what she was looking for. "Let's see what Ikeda's glue is made of," Natsuki smirked. She took out one of the small envelopes from her pocket and uncapped the glue stick from Ikeda's drawer.

"Good thinking," Nao replied – an impressed tone in her voice. If they could match the glue in his office to the glue used to seal the mailed envelopes, they would be one step closer to proving Ikeda's guilt. "I knew we had you transferred for a reason."

Natsuki paused, then sighed as she rubbed some of the glue off on the inside of the envelope. "There was a reason alright," she muttered angrily.

When she was finished going over the rest of his office, she made sure to put everything back where it belonged. "There's just one more place I need to check out," Natsuki told Nao.

"You don't have much time," Nao replied. "They're just saying their goodbyes. And unless Agent Viola decides to take her job _very_ seriously and agrees to go back to his apartment, he'll probably be there in about ten minutes."

"He asked her back to his apartment!?" Natsuki demanded. "On their first date?"

"You know, if you don't hurry up I'm going to have ask Viola-san to buy you some time," Nao warned. "And I'm sure you know what that would mean," she smirked.

"Baka," Natsuki hissed. As Natsuki walked over to Sasaki's office, an image of Shizuru and Ikeda flashed through her mind. Natsuki's grip tightened on the envelope in her hand.

Natsuki swung open the door and took a few steps inside. After a moment, she walked over to the filing cabinet and tried the top drawer. It was still locked. The navy-haired agent had her lock picks out in a second. Carefully, she inserted them into the lock and crouched down so that the lock was at eye level.

"Do you remember the locked drawer that I was telling you about?" Natsuki asked. Tentatively, she used the picks to gently nudge the small pins out of the way.

"It's my job to remember," Nao replied defensively.

There was a small click; Natsuki withdrew the picks. "Well," Natsuki grinned, "it's not locked anymore." She stood up and hesitantly reached for the handle. After taking a deep breath, Natsuki opened the drawer.

"What's in it?" Nao asked.

A slow grin formed on Natsuki's face. "I think we may have just found what we're looking for," she replied. Her eyes rested on the revolver that lay on the bottom of the drawer. "It appears that Viola-san and I aren't the only ones around here who come to work armed and dangerous."

"You found a gun?" Nao replied – voice filled with anticipation. "What model?"

"Beretta M9," Natsuki replied. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Well," Nao replied, "the Desert Eagle was abandoned at the scene. It makes sense that – if the gun _was_ Sasaki's – he wouldn't have two of the same model. But the appearance of the gun is fairly consistent. I'd say that Sasaki was going for effect, not function. Both of the weapons look extremely powerful."

"Yeah," Natsuki muttered. Carefully, she picked up the weapon and checked the magazine. "The gun's fully loaded."

"I don't get it though," Nao replied thoughtfully. "If Arai's out of the way, why would Sasaki risk exposure by bringing a gun into work?"

"Maybe Arai's not the only one that he wants gone," Natsuki replied.

"You think that Sasaki would double-cross Ikeda?" Nao asked thoughtfully. "Well, I guess it makes sense. Sasaki befriends Ikeda and convinces him that having Arai gone is in both of their best interests. Ikeda would have no problem faking those threats to divert attention away from the office. But then Sasaki is left with a problem," Nao continued. "This guy really likes control. In his eyes, Ikeda would be a loose end."

"I guess so," Natsuki nodded. She placed the gun back down and took out her camera once more.

"You know, it's extremely unlikely that Sasaki and Ikeda would get along in the first place," Nao continued. "They both have very dominant personalities. But in a situation where both of their interests would be nurtured, they might be convinced to share the alpha male title."

"For how long?" Natsuki asked. She snapped a couple of photos of the weapon, before putting her camera away.

"Well, my guess is that as soon as the need for cooperation ends, they'll go right back to puffing their chests out," Nao replied.

"If you say so," Natsuki smirked. "What should I do with the gun?"

"Well, technically he doesn't have a license for it," Nao replied. "You could take it if you wanted to."

Natsuki shook her head, though there were no cameras in the office. "You didn't see how nervous he was when I got too close to it," she replied. "I'm guessing that this is gonna be first thing that he checks when he comes in tommorow."

"So what do you suggest?" Nao replied. "We leave a loaded gun in the hands of a murder suspect?"

"I never said that it had to be loaded," Natsuki smirked. "Ask Sugiura-san if she can get her hands on some blanks."

"I'm on it," Nao grinned. There was a small pause. Natsuki closed the drawer and briefly glanced around the room. "Hey, Agent Kruger, you should get out of there now. He's on his way and the restaurant really is pretty close."

"Okay," Natsuki nodded.

"You can go through the front, but you have to be quick," Nao added. "You have your own keys, and Masashi-san can disable the alarm."

"Alright," Natsuki replied. Quickly, she jogged out of the office and toward the front doors. Just as she was about to reach for the handle, a car turned into the front parking lot. Natsuki pulled her hand back, and flattened against the wall so that she couldn't be seen. "Okay, slight change of plans," she added. "Masashi-san?"

"Yeah Kruger-san?" Takeda sounded a little surprised that Natsuki was talking to him

"Get that alarm back up, _now,_" Natsuki ordered.

"O...okay, no problem," he replied. "Is something wrong?"

"Are the windows wired up to the alarm system?" Natsuki asked. She sprinted for the one office with a large enough window for her to fit through.

"Masashi-san can isolate them and shut them down," Nao replied. "But unless you're planning a sleepover, you really better move it."

Natsuki darted inside Ikeda's office and slammed the door closed behind her. "Thanks for the advanced notice, Agent Zhang," she muttered sarcastically. Quickly, Natsuki ran over to the window and released the emergency lock so that opened it the full way. Cool air from outside blew her long hair back. Thankfully, there was no screen stopping her from climbing through.

"I'm out," Natsuki announced on the other side. She snapped the window back into place behind her, and started to make her way back to her car.

"Record time," Nao smirked. "Your parents must have had a fun time grounding you."

Natsuki grinned. Though her father hadn't exactly been in the picture, she didn't bother correcting the other agent.

"So, can you drop that sample off tonight?" Nao asked after a moment. "Helene-san said that she'd get the analysis started."

Natsuki rolled up her sleeve to check her watch. It was getting pretty late, but she didn't mind putting in an extra hour. "Yeah," she agreed.

"I mean, unless you have other plans," Nao added – a smirk forming on her face. "But – given your painfully obvious social dysfunction – I'm guessing that you don't."

"We're going to have a second murder on our hands _very_ soon," Natsuki growled. "And for your information, I have to unpack all of my stuff. I just moved into my new apartment yesterday." Her steps gradually shifted into a light run, and a few seconds later, Natsuki reached her car.

"Uh huh," Nao replied with an amused look on her face.

"And I'm _not_ socially dysfunctional," Natsuki muttered angrily. With a quick twist of her keys, Natsuki began driving back to the agency.

* * *

"Hey," Nao nodded to Natsuki as she walked through the doors.

"Agent Zhang," Natsuki growled. Wordlessly, she held up the small envelope that contained the sample.

"Arigato," Nao grinned. Before Natsuki could protest, she grabbed the envelope with a swipe of her hand.

"Hey," Natsuki frowned.

"Here, let me," Nao spoke as she walked over to the secondary door. She slid her ID card through the reader and pressed her thumb against the scanner. "We don't have all night," she smirked.

Natsuki took a slow breath, before following. "_Just stay calm," _she instructed herself. Part of her wanted to confront the other agent, especially after what had happened the day before. Still, Natsuki knew that reacting so emphatically would just demonstrate how much it had affected her. And Nao would – no doubt – pick up on it right away.

Natsuki followed Nao down the hallway to their usual room. "This place is usually pretty empty around now," Nao explained. Natsuki nodded; if it hadn't been for Nao, the place would have looked deserted.

A door opened to her left. Takeda stepped out of the room – pausing when he noticed Natsuki. "K...Kruger-san," he smiled.

Nao stopped mid-step and turned to regard the other two agents. Her gaze shifted from the eager look on Takeda's face to the defensive look on Natsuki's. "Yeah, I don't need to see this," Nao muttered. She turned and began walking down the hallway once more. "I'm going to get this to Agent Helene," she called over her shoulder.

"Is that the..." Takeda trailed off.

"Yep," Natsuki replied. There was a brief moment of awkward silence. "Well..." Natsuki began.

"Kruger-san?" Takeda cut her off mid-sentence.

"Yes?" Natsuki replied with raised eyebrows.

"I think you're doing really well on this case," he continued. Natsuki opened her mouth to reply, but didn't exactly know how to respond. "And, I was thinking," Takeda continued hesitantly, "that maybe you'd let me buy you dinner sometime."

The main door opened suddenly, and both agents turned. Natsuki stared at the door – frozen – as Shizuru stepped into the hallway. Natsuki could feel her cheeks begin to burn.

"Agent Kruger," Shizuru smiled. Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but was once again left speechless.

"Kruger-san?" Takeda asked. Natsuki turned back to face Takeda with a confused look on her face. What had he just said to her? "Is that a 'yes'?" he asked sheepishly.

"W...what?" Natsuki asked. She turned back to Shizuru. The brown-haired woman was looking from her to Takeda with an expectant look on her face. "O...oh," Natsuki stuttered. "...Sure?" she offered, though she had no clue what had just happened.

"Great," Takeda beamed. "How about on Friday?"

Shizuru watched wordlessly, as relief crossed Takeda's face. Her gaze shifted to study the faint blush on Natsuki's face. _"Did she just..." _her thoughts trailed off as her stomach clenched painfully. Had Natsuki just agreed to go out with Takeda? Shizuru inhaled shakily and struggled to keep her face neutral.

Natsuki studied the look on Takeda's face, and her eyes soon widened. What _had _she just agreed to? "W...wait," Natsuki stuttered. "What did you ask me?"

"Is Friday alright?" Takeda repeated.

"Excuse me," Shizuru cut in – her voice sounding void of any emotion. She brushed passed Natsuki and quickly walked down the hallway. When she reached their usual room, she steeped inside and closed the door behind her. Exhaling slowly, Shizuru leaned back against the door. _"Well that answers that," _Shizuru thought bitterly.

Natsuki stared at Takeda blankly. "No, I mean... what did I just agree to?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I just wasn't really listening."

"Y...you said that we could have dinner," Takeda replied hesitantly. Concern slowly crossed his face.

Natsuki eyes widened even more, and she felt herself blush furiously. _"Baka!" _she screamed at herself. "Look, Agent Masashi," Natsuki began. "I'm really sorry, but... I'm..." she trailed off. "I just..." Natsuki continued, then paused. "I just _really_ don't think that this would work," she finally managed to say.

"What?" Takeda asked her. Natsuki couldn't help but feel guilty. "Look," he added, "just dinner as friends. That's it." It wasn't exactly what he had been going for, but he was willing to take what he could get.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Natsuki replied. Though the words were fairly neutral, she glared slightly in an effort to get the message across.

"Come on," Takeda grinned. "You're new here. I just want to get to know you a little better. Especially since we're going to be working together on this case."

Natsuki hesitated. This was definitely not a good idea. If she hadn't accidentally said 'yes' before, she wouldn't even be considering it now. "Okay, look," Natsuki replied seriously. "I'll eat dinner with you as _coworkers._ Got it?" she glared. She didn't want to give him any false hope.

Takeda looked a little taken aback, but he nodded anyway. "Great," he smiled. "See you Friday night." With that, he quickly walked down the hall before Natsuki could change her mind. Natsuki ran a hand through her hair and let out a frustrated sigh. Something told her that Takeda didn't exactly get the point. _"Baka," _Natsuki scolded herself. _"You walked right into that one."_

Natsuki stood alone in the hallway for a moment. Finally, she walked over to their conference room and stepped inside.

Shizuru glanced up; she was seated at the large table in the center of the room.

"Viola-san," Natsuki gulped.

"Agent Kruger," Shizuru replied coldly. Natsuki paused in the doorway, before finally walking in and sitting down across the table. She locked eyes with Shizuru, though neither woman spoke.

Finally, Shizuru broke the silence. "If you wish, I could catalog those pictures for you," she said quietly. "Then you would be free to go."

"Hey guys," Nao barged into to room. "Agent Helene is starting on the analysis right now. Do you have your camera?" she asked Natsuki. The red-haired agent stopped for a moment, then took in the expression on Natsuki and Shizuru's faces curiously.

Natsuki looked from Nao to Shizuru. "It's okay," she said finally to Shizuru. "I don't mind staying." The brown-haired woman regarded her with a calm stare, and Natsuki studied her face carefully. Was something wrong?

"I thought you had to unpack," Nao replied with a frown. "Just leave them with us."

Natsuki's gaze shifted from Nao to Shizuru once more. Her eyes met Shizuru's for a moment, but the other woman immediately averted her gaze. Natsuki hesitated for a moment. "O...okay," she said finally. "Arigato."

Nao nodded and took the camera from Natsuki's outstretched hand. Before walking out of the door, Natsuki glanced back at Shizuru once more. Why did she suddenly seem so different?

Sighing once more, Natsuki made her way out of the building.

* * *

The next morning came _far_ too quickly. _"That's what you get for staying up till 3:00 unpacking," _Natsuki mentally groaned. She couldn't help but yawn, as she walked through the Foreign Affairs Office doors.

"I think you'll blend in more if you _don't_ look dead," Nao smirked.

Natsuki took a few steps inside, then paused. Shizuru had no doubt seen her enter the building. But instead of giving Natsuki her usual smile, she didn't acknowledge Natsuki's presence at all. _"And that shouldn't bug you,"_ Natsuki reminded herself. _"W__e'r__e not even really supposed to know each other."_

Natsuki walked straight over to the supply room. But instead of grabbing her cart, Natsuki grabbed the mop and bucket and walked out of the room. With a pained look on her face, Natsuki cautiously stepped into the woman's washroom.

"Now that's courage," Nao smirked.

Natsuki took one look at the floor and sighed. Finally, she walked into the furthest stall and dipped her mop into the bucket.

"I really don't know," a woman laughed. The washroom door opened suddenly and Natsuki stiffened. Two sets of footsteps entered the bathroom. "I mean, it's been what? Three days now? He can't have been _that_ affected by what happened."

"I know," a second woman laughed. Natsuki didn't recognize their voices; she would have to have a clear view of their faces to identify them. "But that's not the only thing that's so weird about it. I called him up yesterday, to see how he was doing."

The tap turned on abruptly, and a couple splashing sounds followed.

"How is he?" the first woman asked curiously.

"He sounds perfectly fine to me, but he didn't say much," the other woman replied. "But it's more of what he did say that I thought was weird."

"What do you mean?" the first woman pushed. The sound of running water stopped.

"Well, I almost got the feeling that he was hiding something. But you know that new janitor?"

"Oh, that new woman? What about her?" the other woman replied.

"Norito said that he couldn't tell me much, but he said that the new janitor was definitely here for a reason. Whatever that means," she laughed.

"What reason?" the first woman scoffed. "To clean our floors? We already knew that."

"I don't know," the second woman laughed. There were a few footsteps, and Natsuki could hear the door swing open and shut shortly afterwards.

"I could hardly make out any of that," Nao spoke. "What happened?"

Natsuki stepped out of the stall – her heart pounding furiously. "Tell Agent Viola to meet me in the supply room _now_," she ordered.

"What? Why?" Nao asked.

Natsuki hesitated for a moment, then ran her hand through her long hair. This _really_ wasn't good.

"Because," she replied grimly, "our cover just got blown."

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**Thanks for reading! :D Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! :D **

**So I finally decided to just up and post this. I'm really sorry that it took so long. I honestly will do everything in my power to finish this fanfic, but I unfortunately have no idea how long that might take, lol. I spent a lot of my summer getting ready for university and I'm still trying to get used to the workload (my chemistry prof. = evil incarnate, lol).**

**I really must warn you that this has not been beta'd. I was a little hesitant to post this unedited, but my beta is extremely busy, and I would much rather have her get some sleep than try to edit like (* checks word count *) a 20 000 word chapter, lol. Especially one of **_**my**_** chapters, lol (as you know, WouldBeSenpai, anyone who is brave enough to take on my comma placement errors deserves a medal, lol). So if you find it simply unbearable to read, I will not blame you at all. Lol, though hopefully it's not quite that bad. :D**

**Oh and this is really random, but I decided to take up jogging over the summer, and it's very good for fanfic brainstorming. I don't really know why I started jogging, considering that I hate running with a burning passion, lol, but it's much easier to think about Shiznat than how many minutes of torture you have left to endure. :D Oh and just as another note, I really don't recommend making a mixed CD to run to with Florence and the Machine's 'Heavy in Your Arms' on it. I love the song, don't get me wrong, but there's just something about having 'I'm so heavy...heavy...heavy..." playing in the background while you're trying to survive your last two minutes of a half hour jog that doesn't click. :D**

**I really hope that you guys like the chapter, and reviews are very welcome! :D I'm sorry that I made you guys wait so long for it!**

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**Chapter #6: Exposed**

"Viola-san's on her way," Nao announced after a small pause. "Tell me what happened, Agent Kruger." The sense of urgency in Nao's voice didn't come close to reflecting the panic that Natsuki was feeling.

Without replying, Natsuki walked out of the washroom and straight into the deserted supply room. A few seconds later, Shizuru stepped inside.

"Kruger-san?" Nao asked.

Shizuru's eyes fell on Natsuki, as the door closed behind her. Natsuki's eyes met hers wordlessly; the older agent had no trouble sensing how serious the situation was. "What is it, Kruger-san?" Shizuru frowned. She took a few steps toward Natsuki and carefully studied her face.

"Apparently Norito doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut," Natsuki snapped. She ran a hand through her hair impatiently as she spoke. "He told one of the employees that he wasn't coming back for a while because I had a reason to be here in his place."

"What!" Nao snapped. "We had an agreement. He's not allowed to mention you." For a brief moment, even Shizuru looked caught off guard. "I'm going to kill that moron," Nao hissed.

"I'll get a hold of him immediately," Takeda announced.

"No," Nao instructed. "I need you to go get him and talk to him face to face. A phone call definitely isn't going to cut it."

"...Alright," Takeda hesitantly agreed.

"Make sure that that he realizes what he's done," Natsuki growled threateningly. "And remind him that when you violate a government contract, serious consequences can be enforced."

"Now isn't the time to be focused on him," Shizuru cut in softly. All traces of her inital shock had vanished; Natsuki was surprised by how at ease the older agent seemed to be. "Is that all that you overheard?" Shizuru asked Natsuki.

"It doesn't matter," Natsuki replied angrily. "That's more than enough. To any non-guilty person, it's just an unusual comment. But to whoever is responsible for Arai's death, Norito might as well be shoving a red flag down their throat."

Shizuru opened her mouth to reply, but hesitated for a moment. "I suggest that we stop the spread of information quickly. If we can prevent the rest of the office from hearing, we might be able to extend our time here."

Natsuki regarded Shizuru's calm demeanor angrily. "We've lost control of the situation," she snapped. "We don't have _any_ more time." _How can she __**still**__ manage to be so restrained? _She studied Shizuru's face for any trace of raw emotion, but the older agent had concealing her emotions down to an art.

Shizuru blinked for a moment – startled by the sudden hostility directed towards her. "Kruger-san," she replied softly, "we're not off this case unless ordered otherwise."

"Speaking of that," Nao added, "give me a moment to get Director Wong. He's definitely going to want to hear this." The sound of her chair rolling back screeched loudly through their earpieces. After a moment, there was silence. Shizuru casually leaned back on the wall behind her, as she waited.

"How can you be so calm?" Natsuki demanded. Her eyes met Shizuru's with a fierce glare. "Don't you realize what just happened?"

"I assure you, I am quite aware of the situation," Shizuru answered quickly. She studied Natsuki's face for a moment. The younger woman was clearly upset. Shizuru took a few steps away from the wall – closer to Natsuki – and forced the younger agent to meet her gaze. Natsuki shifted around uncomfortably; Shizuru was much closer to her than Natsuki would have liked. "But the moment that you let your emotions overpower you, you cease to be of any use to this case," Shizuru added softly. Her words were intended to be a gentle reminder.

Natsuki's face flushed angrily – responding in the opposite way that Shizuru had hoped for. "I didn't know that I was such an amateur," she snapped. What was Shizuru trying to say? _Does she really think that I'm that useless?_ Natsuki broke eye-contact quickly; she didn't want Shizuru to see how much the comment had affected her.

"T...that's not what I meant," Shizuru quickly replied – her heart racing. Her chest constricted tightly, as she studied Natsuki's face. She should have known that Natsuki would take offense. _"You know how proud Natsuki is," _she reminded herself furiously. _"Are you trying to push her even further away?"_ "I...I just..." she started, though she was unusually lost for words. Being around Natsuki seemed to have that effect.

"I guess it's easier to just pretend that you don't have any emotions at all," Natsuki cut her off. She forced herself to look up and evenly meet Shizuru's gaze. "That's what you're so good at, isn't it?" she laughed bitterly. "Being completely unreadable."

Shizuru stared at Natsuki; both women were a little shocked by how blunt Natsuki had just been. "I didn't realize that you had been trying," Shizuru finally spoke – her words no more than a whisper. Her dark red eyes met Natsuki's questioningly. Had Natsuki really been that interested in her?

Natsuki visibly hesitated. She hadn't meant to react so emphatically. She'd made it sound as if she'd been watching Shizuru constantly. _"Which isn't exactly far from the truth," _she reminded herself. Shizuru watched Natsuki silently, as if waiting for an explanation.

_ "Baka," _Natsuki mentally hissed. She couldn't just leave her statement as it was. She needed an excuse now – something to draw Shizuru away from the idea that Natsuki might be attracted to her. "B...but after seeing you manipulate everyone in this office without a trace of guilt..." Natsuki trailed off. Images of Shizuru flirting with Ikeda ran through her head, and she was quickly brought back to the conversation that she'd overheard between Shizuru and Tomoe; her face flushed even darker when a new wave of anger hit. "...I'm starting to believe that you really don't feel much of anything," she finished.

There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence.

Natsuki glanced up from the spot on the floor that she had fixated on. She studied Shizuru's unusually stiff posture. The older woman refused to meet her gaze; Natsuki knew – undeniably – that she had taken things too far.

Natsuki tried to lock eyes with Shizuru, but the brown-haired woman quickly looked away. "Is that so?" Shizuru spoke coldly. She knew that some found how guarded she was to be disconcerting . But hearing the same words come from Natsuki left Shizuru winded – as if all of the air had been forced from her lungs. "_So __this__ is what Natsuki really thinks of me," _Shizuru realized numbly.

The look of anger on Natsuki's face softened involuntarily. "I... I'm sorry," she stuttered – her stomach clenching tightly.

"On the contrary, Agent Kruger," Shizuru faked a small smile. "_I_ should be the one apologizing to _you._" She swallowed painfully, and forced herself to meet Natsuki's eyes. "It must be simply dehumanizing to associate with me."

"T...that's _not_ what I meant," Natsuki continued forcefully. She waited for Shizuru to look back up at her, but the brown-haired woman averted her gaze once more. "I just..." she trailed off. "...It's frustrating for me, not knowing what someone is thinking." She hesitated briefly before continuing. "Not knowing what _you're_ thinking," she quietly added.

The words sounded almost as vulnerable as they made Natsuki feel. Shizuru hesitated, then slowly turned to looked back up at her. What was Natsuki trying to say?

Natsuki's face flushed, when Shizuru met her gaze. Her heart began pounding furiously; had she said too much? Natsuki waited for the accusing glare that she could have sworn would follow, but instead she received a smile so faint that it was almost undetectable.

"It's ironic, Kruger-san, don't you think?" Shizuru asked after a moment. Before Natsuki could ask what she meant, Shizuru continued quietly. "You claim that my emotions are completely unreadable, but you seem to be the one who truly brings them out."

Natsuki froze – eyes locked with Shizuru's. _"W...what?" _Natsuki's mind frantically tried to process what Shizuru had just said. _"What does that mean? Did I really upset her that much?"_

Shizuru's words had been chosen to subtly test the other woman. She studied Natsuki for any hint of a reaction, but the navy-haired agent managed to keep her expression neutral. After a few seconds, Shizuru began to wonder if Natsuki had even heard her at all. _"Perhaps she misinterpreted," _Shizuru rationalized. To reinforce her statement, she allowed herself to briefly glance over at the supply room closet.

Reflexively, Natsuki followed her gaze. Her eyes widened when she realized what Shizuru had been looking at. Her eyes quickly snapped back to meet Shizuru's.

A small static noise buzzed through the earpieces. "Agent Viola, Kruger," Director Wong's voice suddenly sounded through.

Natsuki opened her mouth to reply, but she was left temporarily speechless. Shizuru held her gaze for a few more seconds, before she finally turned away.

"Director," Shizuru replied with a small nod.

"I hear that you've run into a bit of a problem," the director continued casually.

"That's putting it mildly," Nao snorted. There was a brief pause. "...s...sir," Nao added quickly. Shizuru exchanged an amused glance with Natsuki.

Natsuki leaned back against the desk behind her. Her fists clenched the wooden edge tightly. She took a deep breath – concentrating on slowing her heart rate back to its normal pace. _"Concentrate on the case," _she instructed herself.

"And how do you propose that we fix it?" Director Wong asked. There was a short pause. "...Unless, of course, you believe that the situation has become too dangerous."

Shizuru looked back at Natsuki, then hesitated. She needed to know if Natsuki was uncomfortable remaining undercover – or at least as undercover as circumstances would allow. Natsuki hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "No, sir," Natsuki replied. The words sounded far more confident than she felt.

Shizuru gave her a small, reassuring smile. Natsuki nodded in response.

"I know how much you want this solved, Agent Kruger," the director replied skeptically. "But I need to know if you feel that this case has become a threat to your safety."

"With all due respect, sir," Natsuki replied, "no case is completely without danger. But I think that – if we can slow down the spread of information – we still might be able to modify our plans to expose who ever is behind this."

"Agent Viola?" Director Wong asked.

"I agree," Shizuru replied smoothly. "But we need some more time to work through the details. Any ideas Agent Zhang?"

"Maybe," Nao replied thoughtfully. "What's the only way to slow down a rumor?" she asked. "...Other than offing everyone who might spread it," she added as an afterthought.

"Agent Zhang," the director started warningly.

"You have to give people something even juicier to talk about," Nao announced. "So," she continued with a growing smirk, "who has any deep, dark secrets that they're willing to reveal?"

There was silence on both ends. A sly smile crossed Nao's face. "Agent Kruger," she grinned, "maybe there's something that _you'd_ like to share with the class."

Natsuki blushed furiously, though she desperately tried not to. Shizuru raised an eyebrow – a mischievous look unconcealed in her eyes. "Ara," Shizuru mused, "is there something that you've been hiding from me?"

Natsuki's face flushed even darker.

"V...very funny, Agent Zhang," Natsuki stuttered. Shizuru was unable to repress a smile. "But I do have an idea," Natsuki quickly blurted out. Though it was an attempt to divert Shizuru's attention away from the intense new shade of red that Natsuki had discovered, the brown-haired woman continued to study Natsuki's face with delight. "The employees might be interested in hearing who their boss had dinner with last night," Natsuki finished.

Shizuru hesitated; she wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of broadcasting her feigned relationship with Ikeda.

"Good call, Agent Kruger," Nao replied – though Natsuki couldn't help but roll her eyes at the surprise in her voice. "That's actually not a bad suggestion."

"I do occasionally have good ideas," Natsuki muttered.

"And if we do manage to maintain our cover temporarily?" Shizuru asked calmly. "How do we plan to expose the murderer in such little time?"

Natsuki pursed her lips into a pensive frown. "Well...what if we didn't?" Natsuki asked as the thought suddenly occurred to her. "...Didn't try to stop the spread entirely, I mean," she clarified. "If Viola-san says that I've been acting strangely or something, that should even speed the rumors about me up."

"Okay, now that Agent Kruger has blatantly stated what _not_ to do..." Nao began.

"Why not?" Natsuki countered – a dangerous grin forming on her face. "We should stop looking at this as a problem. This gives us the perfect way to alert the murderer to my presence, but avoid the unwanted publicity of having the rest of the office know."

Shizuru looked at Natsuki with raised eyebrows. "Kanin na, Kruger-san, but I fail to see your point as well."

"We need to solve this _fast_, right?" Natsuki asked.

"Agent Kruger?" Director Wong urged her on. The interest was evident in his voice. Natsuki knew that he wanted to get the other districts off of his back and – hopefully – her plan would give them a way to do just that.

"Put yourself in the murderer's shoes," Natsuki instructed. "You go to all the trouble of destroying the evidence and showing up for work like nothing is wrong, only to realize that there is an undercover agent set on finding you and putting you away for life. How would you react? It might be a little hard to go on pretending that everything is normal."

"Whoa, Kruger-san," Nao cut in quickly. "I see where you're going, but I _really_ don't think that you realize how dangerous your suggestion is."

"I'm not naive," Natsuki replied defensively.

"Look, I've been specially trained to quote 'put myself in the murderer's shoes'," Nao argued. "Contrary to popular belief, shoving a homicidal maniac into a high-pressure situation doesn't usually lead to a fairy tale ending."

"I know that it's dangerous," Natsuki stated firmly. "But if we can get get the murderer to indirectly reveal themselves by reacting, we could plan for a direct confrontation."

"Are you _completely_ insa..." Nao started to object.

"Go on," Director Wong cut Nao off smoothly. Nao's frustrated groan was audible through the earpieces. "Agent Zhang," the director warned, though he sounded vaguely amused.

"Let's say that – theoretically – it _is_ evident who the killer is after word gets around," Natsuki continued. "Or at least that someone acts suspiciously panicked or interested. I can go in wired to confront the suspect. We can pick a private, controlled location and..."

"Being a murderer doesn't make you a moron," Nao snorted. "What do we plan on confronting them with? We thought that you looked a little suspicious and we were hoping that you'd blurt out something that would allow us lock you up for the rest of your life?"

"I'm not expecting the killer to start monologuing," Natsuki snapped – an angry blush forming on her cheeks.

"If you're expecting to get _anything_ of any value then you're expecting too much. You would have to plan a situation where the murderer strongly believes that they're in control. And – after forcing the murderer to realize that an agent has been poking around in their office – that might prove to be a little difficult," Nao snapped. "Really, Kruger-san."

"What if I say that I'm a private detective?" Natsuki asked. "I can say that Arai's wife hired me. That way the murderer will believe that I work alone, and I can let it slip that I haven't told anyone what I know. Even if I don't have solid proof, I would still be a direct threat to the killer. We'll be in a private location so the murderer will believe that there are no witnesses. Killing me would be the logical choice for the murderer, right? They don't need to _say_ anything at all; if they attacked me, it would be just as good as an admission. I'll let the murderer think that he or she has the upper hand, we'll record it, and everyone is happy."

"Except you Agent Kruger; you'll probably be _dead,_" Nao snapped. "Your plan is absolutely wonderful – in theory. But until we know who the murderer is, I'm not going to be able to predict how things will play out. It's extremely circumstantial. We don't have a way to control all the variables required to pull it off." Nao sighed. "Look, I know that our district doesn't have the best reputation, sir. Bringing in the killer would – no doubt – be lovely for our image, but I _don't_ like this plan. It's way too impulsive."

"It's fine, Agent Zhang," the director sighed. "I respect your opinion." There was a short pause. Natsuki shifted around on her feet impatiently. It wasn't as if Nao was the one who would be placed in danger. "What if I were to promise you two teams of level-three agents?" Director Wong asked. "When the time comes, you'll have more than enough back-up to make sure that things run smoothly."

"...Well, that definitely helps," Nao was forced to admit. Natsuki couldn't help but grin.

"Are those agents not needed elsewhere?" Shizuru frowned. She turned to study Natsuki as she spoke. The younger agent looked so eager. But her careless desire to solve the case made Shizuru feel even more uneasy. As much as Shizuru wanted the case solved as well, the idea of putting Natsuki in direct danger made her stomach churn.

"I'll temporarily pull them off of what ever cases they're working," the director replied. "But I can only spare them for a day or two," he added – loosing some of the excitement in his voice. "...Do you really believe that you will be able to isolate the murderer in such little time?" he asked uncertainly. "I have the utmost faith in your abilities, but the last thing that we need is media coverage of law enforcement officers accusing the wrong person of committing murder."

"What other choice do we have?" Natsuki asked. "It's either act now or lose the opportunity entirely," she insisted. "I think that it's definitely worth a try, sir."

"Are you sure that you wish to go through with this?" Shizuru asked Natsuki quietly. Natsuki turned to face her and hesitated. Shizuru locked eyes with her – almost pleadingly – and shook her head ever so slightly.

Natsuki forced a small smile. "I'm sure," she replied confidently. Her heart pounded fiercely, though she was careful not to let her nervousness show. Natsuki's answer was more than satisfying for the director.

"...Okay," the director replied finally, though the word was said with slight hesitation. "You have full authorization."

Shizuru studied Natsuki carefully. Natsuki's body language suggested that she was perfectly as ease. Even the tone in which she spoke suggested confidence. Natsuki was _very_ good at manipulating her appearance. Too good.

Natsuki matched Shizuru's stare defiantly. Shizuru took a step towards her– refusing to lower her gaze. "You have nothing to prove," she spoke finally. Her words were so soft that only Natsuki could hear them.

Just for a moment, Shizuru saw it – a flicker of uncertainty. It was all that she needed to make up her mind. "Perhaps we could modify our plan slightly," Shizuru proposed. "If I were to confront the murderer instead..."

"No," Natsuki cut her off. The fierce expression on her face left Shizuru winded. "I want to do this," Natsuki insisted, then paused. "I want to," she repeated quietly – her eyes locked with Shizuru's.

Shizuru opened her mouth to object, but the sincerity in Natsuki's eyes made her stop. "... Alright," she finally forced herself to speak. The word left her mouth completely dry. "I want to be there," Shizuru quickly added. "If Kruger-san does confront the murderer, I expect to be placed in charge of those two teams."

Her words left no room for negotiation. "I... of course," Director Wong replied with badly concealed surprise. "You will be given full authority."

"Ookini," Shizuru nodded.

Natsuki stared at Shizuru for a moment. When Shizuru turned back towards her, she quickly turned away and cleared her throat. "So, what's our first step?" Natsuki asked.

"I'll go debrief those teams now," Director Wong stated. "Keep me appraised."

After a brief pause, the loud click of the door closing behind him sounded through Natsuki's ear piece. "I still need to load Sasaki's gun with blanks," Natsuki spoke. "Preferably before someone takes his parking spot, if you know what I mean," she laughed – referring to his _extremely_ short temper. "The blanks are just in my rental," she added.

"Perhaps that would be wise," Shizuru nodded. "Is he in his office, Zhang-san?"

There was a short pause, as Nao presumably checked the video feed. "No, Sasaki's not in yet," she said finally. "That works for me. If you hurry, you won't have to worry about drawing him out of his office."

"Got it," Natsuki nodded. She turned to glance over at Shizuru once more, before walking towards the door. Out if the corner of her eye, Natsuki could see the brown-haired agent tense up. It almost looked as though Shizuru had wanted to stop her.

"Y...you should probably wait a little while before leaving," Natsuki instructed Shizuru.

"You're right," Shizuru replied hesitantly. With a small sigh, she leaned back against the wall. Natsuki watched her for a moment, then started towards the door once more.

"Kruger-san," Shizuru quickly got back off of the wall and took a small step towards Natsuki. She reached out her hand to gently grab Natsuki's arm, but when Natsuki turned to face her, she quickly drew her hand back.

"Yeah?" Natsuki answered. She studied the hesitant look on Shizuru's face.

"Please be careful," Shizuru quietly replied.

"Always," Natsuki grinned. With that, she walked out of the room. Shizuru leaned back against the wall once more.

After counting to thirty in her head, Shizuru started walking back to her desk. It was still pretty early. Not all of the employees had arrived yet, and most of the ones who had were talking amongst themselves in the lobby.

Shizuru carefully sorted through the various conversations that she heard as she walked.

It would be rude to interrupt someone else's conversation to talk about Natsuki, but if some of the employees were already talking about her, she could casually join in.

The Foreign Affairs Minister and his assistant were talking in the far corner. It would be less suspicious to start a conversation with someone that she had talked to previously, but she couldn't make out what they were saying as she walked. When Shizuru finally reached her desk, she sat down and scanned the lobby from her chair.

Kanae and Omori were talking to some other employees by the water cooler. The other employees looked to be far more at ease than Kanae and Omori themselves; Omori especially looked to be experiencing quite a bit of discomfort.

* * *

Natsuki winced as a gust of cold air swept her hair into her eyes. She fumbled with her keys for a moment, before finally finding the one that she was looking for. With an aggravated sigh, she moved to shove the key into her rental car's side door.

Natsuki froze – her hand hovering next to the lock. Something was wrong; the lock was all scratched up. It was as if someone had tried to 'discreetly' force their way into her car.

Natsuki tensed up immediately. She scanned the inside of her car quickly, though nothing appeared to be too out of place. The navy-haired agent bent down to examine to examine the lock more closely. There was no doubt about it – someone had tried to get in without a key. "_Naturally, __they would choose to give me the oldest rental car that they could find – one with no theft prevention systems whatsoever," _Natsuki mentally growled.

Until Natsuki examined the inside more thoroughly, she wouldn't know if whoever was responsible had been successful or not. But, from what she could tell, the ignition was untouched – meaning that if someone _had_ successfully broken in, they weren't looking for a ride. That suggested that the break-in was personal.

Natsuki opened her mouth to inform Nao, but the sound of gravel crunching behind her made her freeze. She tensed up immediately, eyes scanning the reflection in the car window for any sign of movement.

Natsuki winced reflexively as the cold barrel of a gun pressed firmly up against her cheek.

"Well, you _are_ observant, aren't you?" a deep voice growled into her ear.

* * *

"Fujino-san?"

Shizuru glanced up from her computer screen with a feigned look of surprise on her face. "Good morning," she replied a moment – a pleasant smile forming on her face. Carefully, she folded her hands on the desk in front of her. "What may I do for you?"

"I...Ikeda-san wants to see you in his office," the employee replied. His words were so rushed that Shizuru almost had a hard time understanding what the man had just said.

Shizuru sighed inwardly. _Ara, right now? _It was more than a little inconvenient. He should at least have the decency to come and get her himself. "Of course," Shizuru replied smoothly – consciously choosing to ignore the way that the man's gaze kept nervously shifting down to the low neckline of her dress.

"I don't suppose you've seen the new janitor today?" Shizuru asked.

After a couple seconds, the man finally seemed to register what she had said. "Oh," he blurted out. "No, I haven't."

"Ara," Shizuru sighed. "I fear my wastebasket will start overflowing any time now."

The man laughed nervously.

"I don't know," Shizuru said thoughtfully as she stood up. She smoothed out the amethyst-colored dress that she had been given to wear that morning. "The new janitor seems to strike me as a little odd."

The man raised his eyebrows, but said nothing in response. Shizuru decided that his silence probably meant that even if she did manage to convince him that Natsuki was acting strangely, he wasn't too likely to go spreading it around. She'd have to find someone who socialized more often.

"Well, ookini for the message," Shizuru smiled. Without waiting for the man's response, Shizuru started to walk towards the hallway. She chose her path carefully – so that she would have to walk past the most people on her way over.

"Look, I need you to calm down, okay?" the foreign affairs manager said firmly to his assistant as Shizuru walked past. "Don't mess this up." The assistant's body language suggested that he was under extreme stress. Shizuru slowed her steps down a little, but the assistant didn't reply.

Shizuru walked past the water cooler. "You can't expect me to..." Omori started to say to Kanae. The women that they had been talking to were gone.

"It wasn't your fault," Kanae cut her off in a hushed tone. "Come on," she said quietly. "how long have we known each other for?"

Unfortunately, Shizuru would never know. There was a limit to how slowly she could walk and not look extremely out of place. Releasing a small sigh, Shizuru picked up speed and made her way to Ikeda's office.

Tentatively, Shizuru knocked on the door. There was no answer. She placed her hand on the cool doorknob and turned. "Sasaki-san?" Shizuru spoke as she stepped inside.

Before she could react, powerful arms grabbed from behind.

* * *

"Get up," a man's voice ordered. The gun was removed from Natsuki's cheek, as quickly as it had appeared. Natsuki slowly stood up – her heart pounding furiously – and started to turn towards the man. "Don't," he hissed warningly. The word sent a chill racing up Natsuki's spine.

Natsuki froze. She couldn't see the man's face in the reflection on the glass, but his voice sounded familiar somehow. "_Think,_" Natsuki commanded herself, but her mind was racing uncontrollably. How close was he to her? Where was the gun pointed? If he was close enough, there was a chance that she could disarm him. But was the risk really worth it? Did this man intend to shoot her in broad daylight? _"No," _Natsuki convinced herself. "_If he was going to shoot me, I'd already be dead."_

"Get in the car," the man ordered quickly. Natsuki could hear the tension straining his voice. She inhaled shakily – trying to appear as calm as she could.

"Who are you?" she asked quietly when she had worked up enough courage to speak.

"_Now_," the man demanded fiercely. The word made Natsuki involuntarily wince. The last thing that Natsuki wanted to do was get into that car. If there was some way that she could... "Now!" the man yelled, shoving her roughly against the side of her car. His movement brought him temporarily closer – almost close enough for Natsuki to consider attempting to disarm him.

"Agent Kruger?" Nao's voice almost startled Natsuki into reacting. Natsuki fumbled with her keys – cursing the way that despite all of the training that she had received, her hands wouldn't stop trembling. "What's going on?" Nao asked. Natsuki gritted her teeth as she inserted the key into the lock. The external camera's view of Natsuki's car was obstructed by the large SUV parked in front of it. Nao had no clue what was happening.

There was a small click as the door unlocked. Natsuki fumbled for the handle and opened the door.

"Get in," the man repeated.

_"Come on, Agent Zhang," _Natsuki silently chanted. She swallowed hard – her instincts very emphatically screaming for her not to get into the car – and started to sit down. What was she supposed to do?

"Agent Kruger," Nao repeated firmly – her voice beginning to sound panicked.

The car door slammed, as soon as Natsuki was in; Natsuki winced. The man started walking around to the other side of the car. _"Now," _Natsuki realized. She fumbled for the handle – frantically trying to reopen the door.

The man realized what she was doing, and quickly ran around to the passenger's side. By the time that Natsuki got the door open, he had his gun pointed at her through the open passenger door.

"Make a run for it, and I'll shoot you," the man snarled. Trembling, Natsuki closed the door and turned to face him. _"Sa...Sasaki?" _Natsuki was finally able to identify the man. For some reason, the realization seemed to snap Natsuki out of the daze she had been in. "Sasaki?" Natsuki spoke.

"Start the car," Sasaki replied.

"Kruger!" Nao exclaimed. "I need to know what's going on. I can't make anything out."

Natsuki took a slow breath. _"Calm down," _she instructed herself, though her gaze snapped back to the gun in Sasaki's hands. She needed some way to alert Nao to her situation. "I..I would appreciate it if you didn't point that gun at me," Natsuki forced herself to speak. _"There," _Natsuki felt a small wave of relief wash through her.

Nao cursed loudly, then quickly tried to collect herself. "Stall him, Kruger," she ordered Natsuki. She tried to keep her voice calm, but it was more than a little difficult. The worst thing that she could do was to start freaking out; Natsuki was – no doubt – already finding it to stay calm. "I'm sending Viola now."

Natsuki could hear the restraint in Nao's voice. It didn't help. _"Stall," _Natsuki ordered herself, though it took a moment to recall the meaning of the word.

* * *

Shizuru's gaze snapped down to the arms restricting her movement. She tensed up, though she consciously stopped herself from reacting the way that she was trained to – violently. She waited for a moment, but the arms never tightened.

"Hi," Ikeda's voice greeted her finally. He removed his arms, and Shizuru turned to face him quickly. "Why are you so tense?" he laughed.

"You startled me," Shizuru replied. She forced the corners of her mouth to turn up into a mechanical smile, though her heart was still pounding fiercely. She had come dangerously close to reacting.

"My apologies," Ikeda smiled.

Shizuru didn't reply. She waited for him to continue the conversation, but he just stared at her – an odd expression on his face. It was almost as if he was trying to solve a complex puzzle. "You requested my presence..." Shizuru began.

"Yes," Ikeda cleared his throat. He walked over to his desk and sat down. "I'm sorry to pull you away from your desk, but I was wondering if we could talk..." he trailed off.

"About?" Shizuru replied with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't sure that she liked the serious tone in his voice. His body language suggested that he was a little uncomfortable, but Shizuru didn't know why.

"Normally, I discourage interoffice relationships," Ikeda finally spoke. "But for you..." he trailed off once more. Shizuru's eyes widened slightly. "...I'd just appreciate it if we kept this between us," he finally finished.

"Of course," Shizuru replied calmly. "I understand." Just how serious did Ikeda think she was? She had never explicitly stated that she wanted to be in a relationship with him.

"Good," Ikeda beamed at Shizuru like she was a dog who had just learned a new trick. Shizuru raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in response.

"Viola," Nao's voice came through the ear piece suddenly. Shizuru immediately detected the urgency in her voice. "Get to the parking lot _now._ Kruger's in trouble."

Shizuru's heart began pounding at the mention of Natsuki's name. For Nao to sound so desperate, something had to have gone seriously wrong. "I really must return to my desk," Shizuru quickly spoke. She turned and walked briskly towards the door – a feeling of queasiness coming over her rapidly. What had happened to Natsuki? She was alright...wasn't she?

"Are you alright?" Ikeda asked – alarm in his voice. No doubt, he believed that he had something to do with her quick exit.

"I'm fine," Shizuru replied quickly. She turned to give Ikeda a brief smile. "I just feel a little unwell," she finished.

"But..." Ikeda began, but Shizuru didn't wait for him to finish. As soon as the door closed behind her, she sprinted down the empty hallway. The sound of a door handle turning behind her told Shizuru that Ikeda was coming after her. Quickly, Shizuru forced open the door to the woman's washroom on the way out of the hallway.

Ikeda jogged out of his office. "Viola-san?" he called out. The washroom door closed just as he reached it. Ikeda stopped in front of it, and tentatively knocked on the door. "V...Viola-san? Are you alright?" he called out.

Shizuru slowed her pace down to a brisk walk as she reached the lobby. She didn't want to raise suspicions.

"Get to Natsuki's car as fast as you can," Nao ordered. "Get your gun out, and approach from passenger's side. Sasaki is armed, he has Natsuki in the car, and he's told her to drive. You have to stop that car before it leaves the lot."

Shizuru almost stopped in her tracks when she registered what Nao had said. Her pace immediately quickened, despite the looks that some of the employees were giving her. Shizuru shoved the door open, and dove to the right – rolling into a crouched position under the front office windows. The last thing that she needed was for someone to see her draw a weapon and call the police. In seconds, Shizuru had her gun out and was sprinting towards the back of the lot.

* * *

"You start the car _now_ and you _drive,_ or I'll shoot you right here," Sasaki yelled furiously. Natsuki locked eyes with him instantly; he wasn't fooling around. A bead of sweat rolled slowly down his forehead. Natsuki's gaze shifted to the loaded gun in his hands. His finger was tightly wound around the trigger. _Very_ tightly. "Now!" he screamed – his finger pulling the trigger back just a little more with the effort.

Natsuki's heart skipped a beat, then crashed down violently. She couldn't wait anymore. "Okay," she whispered – the word barely making it out at all. Her sweat coated hand turned the key in the ignition. Natsuki backed the car – as slowly as she could manage – out of the parking spot. For a brief moment, she considered smashing her car into another on the passenger's side. She immediately reconsidered; any abrupt movement would make Sasaki – and more importantly his trigger finger – tense up.

* * *

Shizuru tore through the parking lot. She weaved her way in and out of the cars furiously – her footsteps almost in perfect time with the rapid thumping of her heartbeat.

Nao cursed loudly when she saw the Toyota emerge from behind the SUV. "The car's backing up. Dammit Kruger," she exclaimed.

Shizuru sprinted as fast as her legs would allow. _There. _Her gaze was immediately drawn to the white car backing out of a parking spot. Without hesitation she made a direct break for the car.

Suddenly, her view was obstructed.

"Wait! Watch o..." Nao started.

Shizuru's right shoulder slammed into something solid. The impact sent her sprawling onto the hard pavement. She didn't have time to position her fall properly – just barely enough to turn so that she didn't land on her spine.

She winced as she hit the ground painfully. The pavement scraped against her arm – tearing through the skin effortlessly. The momentum that she had picked up slammed her body into the tire of the nearest car.

There was a loud thump from beside her. Shizuru ignored the pain burning through her arm and forced herself to her feet. She turned to the direction of the noise, only to see a women – Omori – sprawled against the side of the car across from her. So that's what she had run into.

"Omori!" another woman yelled. It took Shizuru a moment to recognize the short woman as Kanae. Shizuru spun around quickly – ignoring the two women – and watched helplessly as the white car turned out of the parking lot. "Are you alright?" Kanae demanded. She ran over to help her friend up.

"Don't lose that car!" Nao ordered. "I'm activating Kruger's GPS locater, and I'm sending the director's teams in right away. Get in your car and follow at a safe distance. It'll take around twelve minutes for the teams to arrive so..." Nao suddenly trailed off.

Shizuru waited for her to continue, but there was silence. What had made the other agent stop? Shizuru turned back to face the other two women in the parking lot; the cause of Nao's silence suddenly became apparent.

Shizuru followed Omori and Kanae's gaze. At first, Shizuru had thought that they were looking at the papers that she had knocked from Omori's hands. But her focus was soon drawn to the gun that had flown from her hands as she fell. It had skidded across the pavement and was currently lying a few feet away.

Kanae slowly looked up from the gun and locked eyes with Shizuru. Shizuru's heart pounded furiously, as she met the other woman's gaze. Suddenly, Shizuru saw Kanae's entire body tense up. Shizuru froze; she knew what was about to happen. Kanae sprinted forwards – towards the gun – and Shizuru did the same. Shizuru really _didn't_ have time for this.

"I need some help in here dammit!" Nao yelled loudly. Shizuru could vaguely hear the sound of a door opening through her ear piece.

Kanae reached the gun a fraction of a second sooner than Shizuru and flailed out blindly for it – barely managing to grab the small 9mm. Without hesitating, Shizuru slammed her leg into the back of Kanae's knee. The small woman cried out as she fell backwards. Shizuru pivoted – trapping the hand that Kanae was using to hold the gun against her body. With considerable force, Shizuru rammed her elbow into the shorter woman's nose. Kane cried out – dropping the gun – as the elbow hit her squarely.

The gun slid once more along the pavement. Shizuru shoved Kanae back gently; she didn't want to hurt the other woman more than necessary. With that, she turned towards the direction that the gun had fallen in and froze.

Omori was standing over the area where the gun had landed. Shizuru's gaze quickly shifted from the trembling woman to the gun shaking in her hands.

It was pointed directly at Shizuru.

"Tell the director that I need those teams immediately," Nao's voice came through the ear piece one more. "They don't have time to get suited up. Have them track Kruger's locater, form a one quarter mile radius around the coordinates and wait for further instructions. No one moves until I say so. Sasaki has Kruger at gunpoint. They're in her rental car – a white Toyota. And tell Agent Helene to get down here this second. Did you get that?" she demanded. "Then why the hell are you still here?"

Shizuru wondered briefly who Nao was talking to, but the sight of her own gun in Omori's hands soon snapped her out of it.

"Viola," Nao quickly turned her attention back to Shizuru. "Tell Omori that this is a misunderstanding. You're a law enforcement officer, and you're going after a suspect. Speak in a calm, authoritative tone. Make eye contact when you speak. Take very small steps towards her, and reach your hand out for the gun. Don't go too fast, and don't try and force the gun away from her directly."

Nao quickly connected the microphone to Natsuki's ear piece; Shizuru was in far less trouble than Natsuki was.

* * *

Natsuki signaled to make a left turn at the upcoming stoplight. The road was usually crowded with cars early in the morning; Sasaki would be less likely to do anything in front of so many witnesses.

"Go straight," Sasaki ordered.

Natsuki took a slow breath. "I'm in the left turn lane," she replied after a moment. The car slowed to a stop behind a few others.

"Straight," Sasaki repeated firmly. Natsuki briefly took her eyes off of the stoplight and glanced down at the gun in Sasaki's hands. It was rested against his lap – out of sight for anyone driving by – but still very much in her field of view. The gun was still pointed directly at her, and Sasaki's finger was still wound dangerously tight around the trigger.

"Okay," Natsuki replied quietly. "Straight." If staying on busy streets was out of the question, the least that Natsuki could do was to announce the direction they were headed in. Nao could relay the directions to Shizuru, who – Natsuki presumed – was following them. She switched lanes carefully.

"Okay, Kruger," Nao's voice finally sounded over the ear piece. Natsuki felt relief flood through her. It seemed almost as if Nao had forgotten about her. "We've hit a small snag," Nao announced – wincing to herself as she spoke. The idea was to keep Natsuki as calm as possible, but Shizuru's situation made that next to impossible. "Viola-san is a little preoccupied, so we're sending the teams in to cut Sasaki off."

_"What!" _Natsuki exclaimed to herself. A rush of adrenalin hit Natsuki the moment the words were relayed. Where the hell was Shizuru? "_How selfish of me to assume_ that _having a gun held to my head makes __**me**__ the mission priority," _Natsuki mentally snapped.

"If you can, try to stay on busier streets for now," Nao continued. "We'll set up an interception point when the teams arrive. It should only be about ten minutes."

Natsuki took a few slow breaths. She had two choices – wait for the teams to get there and pray for a complete and utter miracle, or take matters into her own hands. She took her eyes of the road just long enough to look back down at the gun in Sasaki's lap. But just what exactly was she supposed to do?

"Alright," Nao took a deep breath as well. "I want you to try talking to him," she instructed. "Find out what he wants. It's extremely sloppy of him to bring you out here, so if things start going the way that we want them to, we might be able to make him realize that he isn't going to get away with this." She paused for a moment. "Just keep in mind that the reason why he was so sloppy is because he's so impulsive. That means if he starts getting worked up, you have to back off _immediately_." Nao was about to continue, but she forced herself to stop. Natsuki really didn't need any additional warnings.

"Turn left up ahead," Sasaki instructed Natsuki. Natsuki swallowed painfully; the road that branched off to the left was almost deserted.

"Where are we going?" Natsuki quietly asked. She turned onto the long road.

"Just drive," Sasaki hissed. He glanced over his shoulder at the rapidly fading cars on the main road. He visibly relaxed; they were now so far away that there was no hope of anyone seeing the gun.

"I can hear Sasaki talk now," Nao spoke. "I don't hear any traffic, so I'm assuming that you've turned onto a more isolated road. I'd be willing to bet that Sasaki doesn't have a destination in mind. He pulled a gun on you in broad daylight, so he obviously didn't really think this through. If you can, try and steer back towards the main roads. But even if you can't, I need you to try and keep it together," Nao instructed.

Natsuki bit her lip roughly. That was definitely easier said then done. Her hands were still trembling violently. Nao hesitated; she had no doubt that Natsuki was terrified. Despite her high rank, Natsuki was still incredibly young, and Nao knew from Natsuki's file that she had never been in a similar situation.

Sasaki checked over his shoulder once more. He took a slow breath when he realized that there were no cars behind them. "Slow the car down," he instructed. "But keep driving." Natsuki followed his instructions wordlessly.

"He's probably not letting you stop because he wants you to be preoccupied," Nao informed Natsuki. "If you have to focus on driving, you can't focus on getting the gun away from him. Do as he says. It could also mean that he's realized that he has no clue where he's going, which suggests that he's reconsidering his actions. That's a good sign. Oh," Nao trailed off. Her voice suddenly sounded distant. "Come in, Agent Helene."

"Agent Zhang." Natsuki could barely make out Yohko's voice through the ear piece. "Director Wong gave instant authorization, but it's going to take some time for the teams to reach her."

"That's not what I need you for," Nao replied quickly. "I need your negotiating experience."

Natsuki briefly wondered what Nao was talking about. Was she asking for Yohko's help with Sasaki?

* * *

Nao studied the confused look on Yohko's face and handed over the piece of paper that she had been writing on furiously for the past two minutes. On it, Shizuru's situation was explained in as much detail as Nao had time to write down. She didn't have time to walk Yohko through it, and she definitely didn't need Natsuki to figure out what had happened to Shizuru.

Yohko's eyes scanned the paper, then met Nao's questioningly. "Take it in the next room," Nao instructed. "Tell Director Wong and help guide her through this. I've already patched the signal through." Yohko glanced down the screen which displayed the camera's view of the parking lot. Her eyes immediately fell on Shizuru and the two women across from her.

"Understood," Yohko replied. Without any more hesitation, she quickly jogged over to the next room. She plugged in the microphone lying on the desk carefully into the computer, and experimentally pushed the button that connected her to Shizuru's ear piece.

"Viola-san?" she asked. She waited for a moment, before realizing that Shizuru wasn't exactly in a position to respond. "Viola-san, this is Yohko Helene speaking. Agent Zhang has asked me to help walk you through this." With the flip of a switch, the video feed came up on the monitor in front of her. Yohko carefully zoomed in on the three women.

* * *

Shizuru took another slow step towards Omori. Hearing Yohko's voice had given her some confidence. She couldn't help but feel relieved to hear someone on the other end. As long as Natsuki was getting the support that she needed, Shizuru definitely welcomed the help. "It's alright," Shizuru spoke smoothly. "I'm a law enforcement officer. I'm supposed to be armed at all times. I know that this may come as a shock to you, but I'm afraid that I really don't have time for this."

"Omori-san," Kanae started warningly.

"I really am telling the truth," Shizuru replied. She turned to Kanae and locked eyes with the other woman. After a moment, she turned back to Omori. "Please," Shizuru said quietly. She took a small step towards her. "I really need that back now. My partner is in trouble."

"Slowly Viola-san," Yohko warned through the ear piece.

Omori's hands were trembling badly. She glanced down at the gun nervously – as if she was afraid that it would fire on it's own. She'd obviously never handled a gun before. Shizuru glanced down at the woman's weak grip on the weapon. Omori definitely wasn't much of a threat.

Shizuru took another small step towards Omori. The brown-haired agent held her hands in a half-up position to make herself look less threatening. She locked eyes with Omori pleadingly – thoughts of Natsuki running through her head – and took another very small step. "Please," Shizuru whispered.

"Omori," Kanae repeated – this time with more force. Omori winced, then took a step back from Shizuru. Shizuru exhaled slowly and tried to keep calm. Kanae was making things extremely difficult. "Give it to me," Kanae instructed.

Omori turned to look at her questioningly. "Give me the gun," Kanae ordered. She locked eyes with the other woman and gave her a small nod. Omori hesitated visibly. Kanae walked over without pause and reached out her hand. Shizuru watched – unable to stop Omori – as she finally handed the gun over to the shorter woman.

Kanae turned and pointed the gun at Shizuru.

"Back up slowly," Yohko ordered. Shizuru took one look at Kanae's expression and immediately did so.

* * *

Sasaki waited for Natsuki to slow the car down, then gave her a satisfied nod. "Now, you're going to tell me _exactly_ what you're trying to do at the Foreign Affairs Office," he snarled.

Natsuki's heart began pounding once more. "W...what do you mean?" she asked shakily.

Sasaki laughed bitterly, then pulled his gun up once more. "Don't give me that crap," he hissed. "You are going to tell me everything that you've been doing. And what it is that you want with Hayato Ikeda."

Natsuki turned to face Sasaki quickly – a startled look on her face. What was he talking about?

"What?" Nao echoed her thoughts. "What's he going on about?"

"What are you talking about?" Natsuki asked shakily.

Sasaki tensed up even more. Natsuki immediately regretted her question. Sasaki wanted answers and he wasn't about to wait for them.

"You have five seconds to start talking. Do you understand me?" he asked her through gritted teeth.

"Ask him to explain his reference to Ikeda," Nao ordered.

"I just don't know why you're bringing Ikeda into this," Natsuki replied quickly. "If you could just expl..."

"Five." Sasaki hissed. "Four. Three."

Natsuki's heart pounded so fiercely that it was almost painful.

"Tell him that you're an agent," Nao blurted. He obviously already knew something about it, and if Natsuki didn't say anything...

"Two," Ikeda snarled.

"Okay," Natsuki forced the word out as quickly as she could manage. "I'm an undercover agent working for the government. I was planted at Garderrobe to try and find Arai Hirohito's murderer." She hesitated; should she say more?

A startled look crossed Ikeda's face. It seemed to take a minute for what Natsuki had said to sink in. But instead of the satisfied look that Natsuki had expected, his face contorted in uncontrolled anger.

"Do you think," he hissed, "that I am a complete _moron_?"

"W...what?" Natsuki stuttered. Her skin turned even paler.

"You may think that you're clever, Kuga – if that's even your real name – but I saw you last night. Did you really think that Ikeda was stupid enough to go completely unprotected after Arai's murder? That you could just break into his office and no one would know about it?" Sasaki sneered. "But there was a problem last night, wasn't there? You got there too late; he was already gone, so you hopped out the window and decided to try another day, didn't you?"

"What?" Natsuki breathed. What the hell was he talking about? He had seen her in Ikeda's office? How could they have not known that he had been watching her?

"Didn't you!" Sasaki screamed furiously.

Natsuki jumped before she could stop herself. The car swerved dangerously – wheels screeching against the pavement. The sound was so loud that Nao could hear it through the speakers on her end.

"Steady, Kruger!" Nao yelled. "Tell him why you were there," she instructed. "Now."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Natsuki exclaimed. Her voice cracked unsteadily. "Yes, I was in Ikeda's office. I was... I was searching for something to tie him to Arai's death."

"Drop the act," Sasaki hissed. His eyes flared dangerously, but Natsuki was left speechless. "Do you even know the man that you were trying to kill?" Sasaki asked her furiously. "Or was it just an order? Impersonal, so that it wouldn't get to you later. That is, if you have a conscience at all."

Nao froze. Her mind worked frantically to try and piece together what he was saying. Sasaki knew that Natsuki was in Ikeda's office. But he didn't believe that Natsuki was an agent. Instead... Nao's thoughts trailed off. _He...he thinks that Natsuki was sent to kill Ikeda? _But if that was why he had Natsuki at gunpoint that would mean... Sasaki was trying to save Ikeda's life?

"I used to be a compulsive gambler," Sasaki continued. "I gambled myself so deep into dept that I was going to lose my house, and I still couldn't resist playing a few more hands. I was a complete mess at work, and people started to notice." He paused. "Do you know what Ikeda did when he found out?" Sasaki asked. "He could have fired me on the spot, but instead he used his own money to get me back on my feet. He didn't have any way to guarantee that I would pay him back later, but he did it anyway. _That_ is the kind of man that he is."

Nao furiously wrote some notes down on the paper in front of her. Sasaki's gambling addiction didn't surprise her in the least, but things still didn't seem to add up. "Ask him if that's why he's doing this," Nao ordered.

Natsuki hesitated; she had no clue what Sasaki was talking about. "Is that why you're doing this?" she forced herself to whisper.

"You have no idea how much he did for me," Sasaki replied. "He knew how the public would react if he started demanding that a bodyguard followed him wherever he went, and he knew that I had a gun. When he asked me to look out for him, there was no way that I could refuse."

"That's loyalty for you," Nao muttered to herself.

Natsuki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Sasaki really trying to tell her that he was one of the good guys?

"I knew it was more than a little suspicious when you and the secretary showed up the moment that the office reopened," Sasaki sneered. "But at least the old secretary was on good terms with Arai. It made some sense that she would be upset when he died and would need a temporary replacement. But the janitor?" Sasaki laughed. "Still, I couldn't be sure that the secretary _wasn't_ involved. Then I checked the Garderrobe Temp agency files online. The secretary has been with the agency for years. You – on the other hand – moved to Garderrobe just in time to plant yourself in the Foreign Affairs Office." Sasaki paused to let things sink in.

Natsuki didn't know what to say. Part of her believed that Sasaki was making it all up. That he had realized how stupid his rash actions had been and was trying desperately to cover up his guilt. But the expression on his face told Natsuki otherwise. He was so completely convinced that she was trying to kill Ikeda.

"Ikeda was more than a little relieved to find out that the secretary wasn't involved," Sasaki continued. "She even asked him out to dinner, you know," he laughed. "Still, Ikeda's far too trusting. It's not like he makes my job easy. He refused to let me follow him and wasn't even going to take the gun that I got for him along on their date until I made him. That's why he wasn't in his office yesterday," he added. "Imagine my surprise when you went diving out of his window just minutes after he left."

"You have got all of this so wrong," Natsuki said firmly. "I'm _not_ trying to kill anyone."

Sasaki dismissed her statement with a glare. "I wasn't going to do any of this, you know," he spoke – waving his gun to gesture at the car. "I was going to wait for you to try and make a move. That way, I'd have proof and I could go to the police." His glare turned even more intense. "I didn't think that you knew about me," he snarled. "At first, that is." Wordlessly, he held up the blanks that Natsuki had been storing in his car.

Natsuki's heart skipped a beat. How was she going to explain the blanks?

"Perfect fit, don't you think?" Sasaki asked. He held up his gun with a small smirk on his face.

* * *

"Agent Zhang," Chie burst into the room. "The teams are on their way. Director Wong is personally directing them, but we have a problem."

"What?" Nao demanded, then quickly lowered her voice.

"There's been an accident on the highway," Chie replied quickly. "We didn't know until the teams got on, but they're having trouble getting back off. We mapped out the quickest alternate route but..." she trailed off.

Nao cursed quietly to herself. That was the last thing that they needed. "Do you have a new ETA for me?" she asked.

"Nineteen minutes," Chie answered – her face just as grim as Nao's.

Nao bit her bottom lip, but didn't say anything. "That's too long," she decided. "At the moment, Sasaki's unstable. And when he realizes how much trouble he's gotten himself into he's going to be even more so."

"Well, Agent Senoh managed to individually explain to every Garderrobe employee here that rushing into this room was an incredibly stupid idea. You should have seen the riot that she had to deal with when people heard what was happening," Chie replied. "But if you think that anyone on our end can help..." she trailed off.

"Hold on," Nao replied. She could faintly hear Sasaki speak through the ear piece.

* * *

"No reply then?" Sasaki sneered. He slammed the blanks down onto the car floor. "I didn't think so."

"What do you want me to say?" Natsuki demanded. She looked away from the road long enough to look Sasaki straight in the eyes.

"Steady Kruger," Nao warned. Natsuki really didn't want to push it.

"You're a suspect in a murder case and that is an illegal weapon," Natsuki continued. "I was instructed to load your gun with blanks so that if a confrontation occurred, I wouldn't be at risk."

"Kruger!" Nao exclaimed fiercely. "You _need_ to back down."

Natsuki ignored Nao's warning. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel angrily. What the hell did Sasaki think that he was playing at? She was telling him the truth.

"I told you to drop your story," Sasaki hissed through gritted teeth. "If you make me ask again..."

"It's _not_ a story," Natsuki cut him off furiously.

"I said _drop i__t!_" Sasaki screamed. The finger that he had wound around the trigger pulled back in a rough motion.

A near-deafening gunshot rang out.

Natsuki didn't even have time to close her eyes.

* * *

Yohko studied the screen in front of her carefully. Kanae had rearranged herself so that she was directly beside Omori and directly in front of Shizuru.

"Do you understand what I have been telling you?" Shizuru calmly asked. "If you don't hand over my firearm immediately..." Shizuru trailed off; some things were better left unsaid. Her stomach clenched even tighter when her thoughts shifted to Natsuki. "My partner is in trouble," she exclaimed.

Kanae studied Shizuru's face for a moment, as if she could tell if Shizuru was lying if she really looked hard enough.

"Who's your partner?" Kanae asked.

"I don't see why that should matter," Shizuru replied – a hint of anger coming through in her voice.

"Agent Viola," Yohko warned, "I'd tell her everything that she wants to know."

"If you must know," Shizuru hesitated, "my partner is Natsuki Kuga. I believe that you know her, if I'm not mistaken."

Omori's eyes lit up in recognition at the mention of Natsuki's name. She turned to Kanae – an expression on her face as if she was about to say something – but then hesitated. Kanae shook her head slowly, and Omori turned back to face Shizuru.

Yohko stared at the expressions on the women's faces. _That was an interesting exchange._

"Then what are you doing at the Foreign Affairs Office?" Kanae asked. "Does this have to do with Arai Hirohito's death?"

"Yes," Shizuru replied slowly. She didn't want to go into details. She definitely didn't have the time, and she would never give away case related information if she didn't have too.

"And what did you find?" Kanae asked. Omori turned to look at her friend but didn't say anything.

Shizuru's gaze shifted from Omori to Kanae. Why had Kanae's voice cracked so nervously?

* * *

"Kruger!" Nao yelled through the ear piece. "...Kruger!"

Natsuki was completely frozen. Her eyes were fixed on the cracked window beside her. The bullet had created an intricate pattern of cracks – spiraling out from the point of impact.

It was no more than two inches away from head.

"Now, you are going to tell me who you work for. Immediately," Sasaki screamed. His hands were trembling almost as badly as Natsuki's. "And I _really_ suggest that you start talking. Because if you're not going to give me anything, you're no longer of any use."

"Dammit Kruger!" Nao yelled, though relief was heavy in her voice. "Next time that I tell you to stop, you _stop_. Got it?" she exclaimed.

Natsuki struggled to inhale a shaky breath. Her ears were ringing so loudly she could barely hear. She could barely think, let alone speak.

"Okay, listen very carefully to me," Nao instructed. "We don't have time to wait for the teams to arrive. You are going to do everything that I say when I say it, Kruger. We're going to try and bring Sasaki down into his comfort zone. And when he gets so comfortable that for one quick second he drops his guard, you are going to seize the opening and get your hands on that gun. You're not going to hesitate, you're just going to react. And when your hands touch that gun, you're not even going to think of letting go," she hissed.

"Who do you work for?" Sasaki growled.

Natsuki's hand slipped on the wheel as she tried to keep the car steady. She could barely process what Nao had just said.

"Tell him that you were hired by Mitsuo Egami – the public favorite for the next Foreign Affairs Minister – to infiltrate the Foreign Affairs Office. Your job was to wait for an opening and cleanly murder Ikeda," Nao instructed.

Natsuki's mouth almost fell open. Was Nao completely insane? Did she really expect Natsuki to tell Sasaki that she had been trying to assassinate his friend? This was supposed to calm him down?

"Turn right," Sasaki instructed. Natsuki signaled a right turn and slowed at the stop sign.

"Do it," Nao demanded. "Trust me, Kruger. We're going to tell him what he wants to hear. Egami wanted Ikeda killed in his own office to mimic Arai's death."

Natsuki couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Now Kruger," Nao yelled furiously. Natsuki was going to get herself killed. She cursed to herself. "_"Think," _Nao ordered herself. "_You need to calm her down to the point where she can think rationally and do what you need her to." _But how the hell was she going to get Natsuki to calm down after everything that had happened? Suddenly, an unorthodox idea came to her. "Do it Kruger, or I swear to God after this is done I'll tell Viola that you were too busy pissing yourself to follow orders," Nao hissed.

Natsuki almost gaped. Had she heard that correctly?

"Now answer the question," Sasaki demanded furiously.

"You heard me, Kruger," Nao continued. "I'll tell her that you had to wait for the teams to save you. You were just too lazy or too scared to do anything for yourself."

A car drove passed by them in the opposite lane. Sasaki had looked like he had been about to speak, but his eyes followed the car wearily as it drove away.

Natsuki's grip tightened on the wheel. She had a gun pointed at her head, and all Nao could think of was telling Shizuru that she couldn't cope properly?

"And of course, I'll tell Masashi-san that the moment that you were rescued, you started crying out his name," Nao sneered.

Natsuki took another look at the gun pointed at her. But for one small moment, she almost found herself not caring. She was beyond furious. It _definitely_ wasn't the time for Nao's antagonist comments.

"Do it," Nao hissed.

The other car was soon out of sight. "Now!" Sasaki growled deeply.

"Fine," Natsuki hissed. She bit the bottom of her lip and struggled to stop her voice from cracking. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment, before she forced her eyes back to the road. "Egami hired me," she stated quietly. She waited for a reaction, but she couldn't bring herself to turn to face the man beside her. "He wants Ikeda out of the picture. But he told me that it had to be done in his office, like Arai was killed. That way..." Natsuki took a deep breath. "...That way whoever killed Arai would be blamed for Ikeda's death as well."

There was silence.

Natsuki gathered up enough courage to face Sasaki. But instead of seeing the look of rage that she had expected, the man beside her had visibly relaxed. "I knew it," he laughed bitterly. "With Ikeda out of the way, Egami would have no trouble winning the next election."

"Agree with him," Nao instructed.

"That was the idea," Natsuki whispered.

Sasaki seemed lost in thought for a moment, but he quickly regained his concentration. "I could kill that bastard," he sneered. Natsuki didn't doubt it for a second.

"Ask him what he's going to do now," Nao told Natsuki. "We're going to make him realize that he has gone way too far. Then, we're going to offer him an easy way out."

"What are you going to do?" Natsuki asked quietly. "No one is going to believe you. Egami's not stupid; I can't be traced back to him." She paused for a moment and took in a deep breath. "And the others back at the office are going to realize that we're missing."

"Shut up," Sasaki hissed. He ran a hand back through his short hair anxiously.

"Tell him that if you're killed, Egami is just going to replace you," Nao ordered.

"If..." Natsuki began, but trailed off. She forced herself to speak after a moment. "Even if you kill me, Egami would just send someone else. Then you'd have to start all of this over again," Natsuki reasoned.

"Look down at his gun nervously and tell him that you were not prepared for this. You weren't aware that he had military training," Nao spoke. Natsuki turned to Sasaki and did as she was instructed.

"I...I didn't sign up for this," Natsuki spoke. She glanced down at his gun once more. "Egami never told me that you've had military training."

"I haven't," Sasaki smirked. "You just really are that sloppy."

Natsuki watched as his hand visibly relaxed. Her heart raced; was he actually buying everything that she was saying?

"Look down at the clock and tell him that you've been gone for ten minutes," Nao instructed.

Natsuki glanced down at the digital clock and turned to face Sasaki for a moment. "We've been gone for ten minutes now," she spoke. No other words were needed to relay her point; someone was going to notice that Sasaki was missing.

Sasaki glanced down at the clock as well, and swallowed hard. "No one's going to notice that we're gone," Sasaki said firmly.

Tell him that you were getting a book from your car. You said that would would lend it to Kanae, and then went out to get it," Nao spoke. "Sasaki stopped you from going back inside."

"I was talking to Kanae before this," Natsuki spoke. "I was going to get her a book from my car."

Sasaki cursed. His hand tightened around the gun once more.

"That should freak him out sufficiently," Nao told Natsuki. "Tell Sasaki that you have no obligations to Egami. You were just being paid to do a job, but now things have changed. Offer him proof that Egami hired you."

"Look," Natsuki started, "obviously circumstances have changed." She paused for a moment and chose her words carefully. "What if I could get you proof that Egami hired me to kill Ikeda?"

"Good," Nao reassured Natsuki.

Sasaki hesitated, but Natsuki could see his eagerness clearly. She didn't need Nao to prompt her anymore. Sasaki was playing right into her hands. "I'm not an amateur," Natsuki spoke. "I take... precautions every time that I agree to a job. I've just never had to go through with them," she added quietly.

The victorious look on Sasaki's face made Natsuki inwardly smirk. "Go on," Sasaki urged.

"Egami has obviously never hired someone like me before," Natsuki continued. "He connected with me himself instead of sending someone to do his dirty work for him. I have a recording that will make things _vividly_ clear to the police."

"Not bad, Kruger," Nao nodded – the relief making her feel almost a little intoxicated. For a moment, she had thought that Natsuki wouldn't be able to pull it off. Despite extensive training and planning, no one could really predict how an agent would react when their life was put in jeopardy. Nao had seen agents with far more experience fall apart in similar situations.

"Where?" Sasaki demanded.

"Glance over at the glove box for a second, then look back at him," Nao blurted out quickly. "Then tell him that you want to make a deal."

Natsuki's gaze flickered from Sasaki to the glove box, then back to Sasaki. Sasaki's followed her gaze to the glove box, but then looked back at her. "I'm not giving you that recording until we have a deal," Natsuki told him. "If Egami goes down for this, you're not taking me with him."

"You are not in the position to make requests," Sasaki hissed. "Now tell me where it is."

"Say no, and glance over at the glove box again," Nao instructed. "If he looks over at it, get increasingly nervous."

She locked eyes with Sasaki once more, and allowed her eyes to glance over at the glove box again. Sasaki studied her face for a moment, then turned his head slightly. "Not until we have a deal," Natsuki replied nervously. "You'll never connect Egami to this without my help."

Sasaki glanced over at the glove box directly, but he glanced back far too quickly to give Natsuki a proper opening. Natsuki had no trouble playing up her nervousness. A suspicious look slowly crossed Sasaki's face. He hesitated, then reached for the glove box.

"I'll tell you where it is," Natsuki blurted out before his hand touched it. "But this can't get back to the police."

"What's wrong?" Sasaki asked Natsuki – a dangerous smile forming on his face. "I didn't have long to search your car, you know," he spoke. He glanced back over at the glove box and took in the panicked expression that Natsuki formed on her face. "I think I might have missed something, don't you?" Sasaki asked.

"Wait for it," Nao cautioned. Sasaki turned towards the glove box with a victorious look on his face. Natsuki could only imagine the relief flooding through him. If he could get the 'recording', then he could deny that any of this happened. He wouldn't be charged, but both Egami and Natsuki would be put behind bars for good. Sasaki would – no doubt – be considered a hero.

Impatiently, Sasaki fumbled with the glove box and ripped it open. He starting frantically searching through the contents with his left hand.

Just for a moment, Sasaki lowered his guard.

It was all the time that Natsuki needed. Without allowing herself any time to hesitate, Natsuki released the wheel and lunged. Her right hand solidly connected with the gun. She gripped the base tightly and oriented it quickly so that it was no longer pointed towards her. With her left hand, she grabbed the emergency brake and forced it backwards – engaging it with as much force as she could. The car's tires squealed violently against the pavement, as the sudden friction made the car lurch forwards.

Both Sasaki and Natsuki were shoved forwards. Natsuki winced as she slammed into the dashboard, but refused to let her grip loosen. Sasaki tried desperately to wrench the gun free from Natsuki's grip, but there was no way that Natsuki was about to let go. Letting her training kick in properly, Natsuki grabbed the hand holding the gun at the base and shoved it downwards with as much force as she could muster.

There was a sickening crack as Sasaki's wrist broke. He cried out – his hand spasming with pain. Natsuki ripped the gun free from his grasp and steadied herself as the car finally screeched to a stop; both Natsuki and Sasaki were shoved back into their seats.

Natsuki held up the gun with surprising steadiness. Sasaki started to lunge for it, but quickly stopped himself when he saw that it was pointed right for him.

"Oh please," Natsuki snarled. "Give me an even greater excuse to shoot you."

Sasaki paled instantly. His left hand cradled his right protectively.

"Kruger?" Nao demanded. "What's your status?"

Natsuki couldn't help but grin as she raised a hand up to touch her ear piece. "Really, Agent Zhang, your concern is heart warming."

"Oh thank God," Nao heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sasaki's disarmed and – other than a broken wrist and whatever _serious_ mental deficiencies he may have – still fairly intact," Natsuki smirked. There was a short pause as Natsuki collected her thoughts. "And listen, Agent Zhang, one word to Agent Masashi and I'll..." She was cut off by the sound of Nao's laughter.

"Is that the beginning of a threat that I hear?" Nao asked with a smirk. "Trust me, Kruger, you don't want to start this game with me."

Natsuki rolled her eyes, then almost groaned when she saw the look on Sasaki's face. The man clearly had no idea who she was talking to.

"As I told you before," Natsuki snarled, "I'm a law enforcement officer. I'm talking through a microphone that connects me to another agent," she explained angrily. "And though she may be singularly the most annoying agent that I have ever had to work with, she does know how to deal with psychos," Natsuki smirked.

"You speak so highly of me," Nao commented with a grin.

"So the next time that you decide it's a good idea to snap, make sure that you have your facts straight first," Natsuki hissed at Sasaki. "Oh and by the way," Natsuki added, "you're under arrest for the possession of an illegal firearm. And don't even get me started on the charges that will result from this little escapade. Someone will read you your rights later on."

"B...but," Sasaki stuttered, "why didn't you show me any identification? If you had just..."

"I'm an undercover agent," Natsuki snapped. "Do you really think that I'm stupid enough to carry around ID?"

Trembling, Sasaki turned to glance down at the open glove box. He looked back at Natsuki numbly.

"There is no tape," Natsuki hissed. "And you can rest assured that if I really was an assassin, I'd have already taken _great_ pleasure in shooting you."

"Okay, calm down a bit," Nao laughed. "You don't want him suing you for brutality later on." Natsuki frowned, but didn't reply. "I need you to switch spots now," Nao continued. "Have Ikeda drive you back to the office immediately."

"Is something wrong?" Natsuki asked – alarm in her voice.

There was a small pause as Nao considered how to phrase her next statement. "...It's Agent Viola," she finally replied.

Natsuki's eyes widened in shock. "Get out," she immediately ordered Sasaki. The tall man fumbled with the handle and opened his door. "It's your turn to drive," Natsuki informed him. She sprinted around to the passenger side and got in. "Hurry up!" she snapped when Sasaki slowly sat down. "Turn us around and take us back." He paled even more and quickly began turning the car. "W...what happened?" Natsuki asked – her voice trembling slightly.

"When Agent Viola was trying to stop you from leaving the parking lot, she ran into some trouble. Her weapon was exposed, and Omori grabbed it before she could do anything about it. Kanae is there too. They must have thought that Agent Viola was about to go massacre small children or something, cause even with Viola-san's coaxing they still haven't given her gun back.," Nao added.

"A civilian got her hands on Viola-san's gun? Please, tell me that you're joking," Natsuki pleaded.

"Unfortunately not," Nao replied. "I'm going to redirect the teams to the Foreign Affairs office, but because of the route that they've had to take, I'm pretty sure that you're closer."

"Got it," Natsuki replied. "Hey," Natsuki snapped Sasaki out of the daze that he seemed to be in. It was as if he couldn't believe what was happening. "Drive faster," Natsuki ordered. The road was so deserted that the extra speed wouldn't be a hazard, and they didn't exactly have time to stick around.

"But..." Sasaki started. He glanced nervously at a speed limit sign as they passed by it.

Natsuki followed his gaze, then glared at him directly. "Are you kidding me?" she snapped. "Right now speeding is the least of your troubles." She allowed her eyes to rest briefly on the gun in her hand, to emphasize her point.

Without any further arguments, Sasaki stepped down on the accelerator.

* * *

"Agent Zhang!" Yohko burst into the room, startling Nao in the process.

Nao tried to look annoyed at the sudden entrance, but she was too relieved to pull the look of properly. "You can tell Director Wong that Agent Kruger has managed to take care of things herself. I suppose she really might be useful, after all," Nao smirked – not caring if she was speaking loudly enough for Natsuki to hear her through the microphone.

Yohko visibly relaxed and nodded, but Nao could clearly see that something else was wrong. "What?" Nao asked quickly.

"I'm not really sure," Yohko replied anxiously. "The two women that have Viola-san's gun... there's something... off about them."

Nao glanced up in alarm. "What do you mean?" she demanded.

"Any other civilian would have called the police right away," Yohko replied. "It makes sense that they would attempt to keep Agent Viola disarmed, but the questions that they've been asking her..." she trailed off.

Nao studied the look on the the other agent's face and immediately stood up. "Kruger, I'll be back in a moment."

"What's wrong?" Natsuki demanded, but Nao ignored her question. Nao quickly unplugged the microphone that she had been using, and nodded to Yohko to lead the way out of the door.

Chie glanced up from across the hallway. "What happened?" she asked quickly.

"Tell Director Wong that those teams need to be rerouted to the Foreign Affairs Office immediately. You know about Viola-san's situation, right?" Nao asked.

"Of course," Chie replied defensively. "And Kruger-san?"

"She managed to disarm Sasaki," Nao replied. "She's headed over to the office too. Tell him quickly, though. I need you back here in case I have to pass along more information to the director. But feel free to quickly point out that _this _is why we need the money to fix the intercom system that never made it into our budget."

"Right," Chie nodded, then jogged over to the stairs.

Nao and Yohko walked briskly over to the next room, and Nao quickly plugged the microphone into a new computer terminal. A few seconds later, she had set the frequency so that she could communicate with Natsuki once more.

"Look," Yohko gestured towards the monitor that displayed the Foreign Affair's Office parking lot. "Kanae had them move out of the line of sight from the windows. She didn't want the other employees to notice."

"What?" Nao replied – confusion evident in her voice. "Are you kidding me?" she asked. Why would that be a main concern? Surely, the two employees would want all the help that they could get. And removing themselves from the view of other employees meant that if Shizuru did manage to get her gun back, they would be in even more danger.

Yohko shook her head, then started to zoom in on the three women on screen.

"Hold on," Nao stopped her. She gently brushed Yohko's hand off of the controls and took over. Carefully, she zoomed in as close to Kanae as she could without distorting the image too much. Both Nao and Yohko studied the new image carefully.

"Look at the contrast between them," Nao pointed to Kanae, then at Omori. "Do you see the difference in body language?" she asked Yohko.

Yohko nodded after a moment, then turned to face Nao. "What does that mean?" she frowned.

"When I look at Omori, I see someone who is terrified," Nao commented. "Sweating, hunched posture, covering her face..." Nao trailed off. "Look at the way she can barely look Agent Viola in the eyes for two seconds." Nao hesitated. "That begin said, terror would be a natural reaction to finding someone with a gun in your parking lot." Nao used the controls to focus the camera solely on Kanae. "But when I look at Kanae, I see... narrow eyes, prolonged eye contact, wide stance, clenched fists..." she trailed off once more.

Yohko turned to look at Nao questioningly.

"That doesn't say fear," Nao continued. "It's closer to aggression. Has Agent Viola done anything to her to..."

"Not after trying to disarm her," Yohko cut her off. "Viola-san has been incredibly calm the whole time."

"She _seems_ incredibly calm," Nao corrected Yohko. "But even her body language is a little off; she's figured out that something is wrong too."

"I've had her run through all the typical lines," Yohko added, "but Kanae's not being particularity responsive to any of them."

"What like 'You have the gun; you're in control'?" Nao asked with raised eyebrows.

"...In a manner of speaking," Yohko replied with a slow nod. "Well, not quite," she added quickly, "but that is the general idea."

"Yeah, but just look at her," Nao pointed to Kanae once more. "She already knows she's in control." Nao zoomed in a little closer, though it took a while for the picture to adjust. "Take a look at the way that she's holding the gun," Nao commented. "Her finger is carefully placed beside the trigger, not on it. That doesn't only show restraint; it shows experience. And I don't know of many civilians who would be able to stay so collected while pointing a gun at someone for the first time, do you?" Nao asked.

"Are you implying that it's not the first time that Kanae has held a gun?" Yohko asked.

"That's what it looks like to me," Nao replied. "But according to the searches that we ran, she wouldn't have had access to a weapon at all."

"So what do we do?" Yohko asked nervously. Nao hesitated, then turned up the volume so that they could hear the conversation clearly.

"Agent Kruger will be there soon," she finally replied. With that, she quickly pushed the button connecting them to Shizuru's ear piece.

* * *

"Agent Viola," Nao's voice cutting in startled Shizuru, but Shizuru felt quite relieved to hear it. Agent Yohko had been doing her best to help, but something clearly wasn't right. "Agent Kruger has gotten things under control," Nao stated. "She managed to disarm Sasaki without incident. But it turns out that Sasaki's not actually the murderer. He's just _really..._ misguided," Nao chose the word carefully. "I'm sending her and the teams back to you."

It took all of Shizuru's self control to not breathe a sigh of relief. If anything had happened to Natsuki... Her thoughts trailed off dangerously. But if Sasaki wasn't the murderer, than who was? Had Ikeda been cleared as well?

"So tell me once more," Kanae began, "what did you find then? If you really are an undercover agent, you must have found _something._"

"Kanae..." Omori began. With a sharp look from her friend, she stopped immediately.

"I don't need to prove myself to you," Shizuru replied calmly. "If you wish, you may contact the police. They will take me off of your hands and I can verify things with them." Now that Shizuru knew that Natsuki was safe, she wasn't concerned with the hours that it would take to prove that Shizuru was working as an undercover agent to the local law enforcement; Garderrobe Temp Agency had no affiliation with the police whatsoever, but they'd find some way to clear things up eventually. The only problem would be all the non-disclosure agreements.

"Maybe we _should..."_ Omori began, but Kanae shook her head.

"No," Kanae replied, " I want to know everything that she does first. If someone in our office is suspected of killing Arai, I want to know about it."

"Perhaps if you returned my weapon, I could continue carrying out my investigation," Shizuru replied – a hint of annoyance in her voice. The whole scenario was far beyond tedious.

"I'm not giving you this back until you prove to me that you're an agent," Kanae snapped. "Now start talking."

"Is there a reason why you're so personally invested in this case?" Shizuru asked. If she couldn't reason with the other woman, perhaps she could scare her into giving Shizuru her gun back. "The longer that you're in possession of my weapon, the more suspicious _you_ look, Kanae-san," Shizuru stated calmly.

The other woman paled visibly, but didn't avert her gaze.

"Omori doesn't seem too pleased with that suggestion," Nao observed. Shizuru glanced over at Omori and couldn't help but agree. The brown-haired woman look even more terrified by the suggestion.

"Look, I think that we should just call the police," Omori started. "W...what if she _isn't_ an agent?"

Kanae turned to look at Omori like she was shocked at what the other woman had just said. It was as if the thought that Shizuru could be a murderer was inconceivable to her.

"Did you see that?" Nao asked. "That look that she just gave her. She practically screamed out 'yeah, _sure_ there'. But what reason would she have to be so certain?" Nao wondered out loud. "Unless of course, she knew first hand that you couldn't be the murderer," she added.

Shizuru hesitated; was Nao implying that Kanae had just regained her status a suspect? "May I ask you something?" Shizuru began. She glanced down at the gun in Kanae's hands, then back up at Kanae. "This doesn't appear to be the first time that you've held a gun. Am I correct?"

Kanae blinked in surprise, then quickly turned to look at Omori. Both women went surprisingly pale. Shizuru watched the exchange with growing suspicion.

"My father used to take me to a shooting range when I was younger," Kanae replied – her voice cracking just a little too much.

Shizuru didn't reply. She was sure to keep her face neutral as she waited for Nao to feed her some information.

"Okay... her father's name is Miyake Tensui. He's deceased and he doesn't have a criminal record. That's all I know from her file," Nao declared.

Shizuru raised her eyebrows as if she didn't believe a word that Kanae had said. "Tensui-san?" she replied – an amused look crossing her face. "And a shooting range, you say," she continued with a small smile.

"Y...you knew my father?" Kanae whispered.

"I've had access to your file," Shizuru replied calmly

"She's definitely lying about the shooting range," Nao commented. "The look that someone gets when they think they've been caught in a lie is hard to miss."

"Well, I'm sure that file didn't tell you much about me," Kanae countered.

"Perhaps," Shizuru replied. "But ninety percent of my job is observing human nature. I rarely have to rely on provided information."

Kanae met Shizuru's gaze with a subtle intensity, but said nothing.

"What do you think of Arai Hirohito's murder?" Shizuru asked.

"What everyone else does," Kanae replied quickly. Shizuru waited for clarification. "It was a tragedy," Kanae added after a moment.

"Yes," Shizuru quietly agreed. "it was." She watched carefully for a reaction, but Kanae's expression remained neutral. Omori, however, wasn't able to stay so calm. Shizuru studied the way the Omori shifted on her feet. She kept her head bent down, as if to prevent Shizuru from seeing that she had reacted.

"Try putting some pressure on Omori," Nao instructed. "At first, I honestly believed that this was all just an unfortunate accident. But, the responses and body language that I'm seeing..." Nao trailed off. Shizuru could sense the anxiousness in Nao's voice, and felt her own heart beat quicken. Did Nao seriously believe that they had stumbled into something?

"His wife was devastated when she found out," Shizuru continued. "I can only imagine what she's going through right now."

Omori's gaze remained fixed on her shoes, but she had tensed up even more.

"Do you know how he was killed, Omori-san?" Shizuru asked, though she didn't wait for an answer. "The murderer didn't sneak into the building, or follow him to work. The killing itself was very intimate. ...The murderer was someone who Arai Hirohito trusted," Shizuru spoke.

Omori was trembling quite visibly at that point. Shizuru wished that the brown-haired woman would look up, but she kept her head bent downwards.

"Stop it," Kanae cut in. She could see how badly Omori was reacting as well as Shizuru could. Kanae glanced over at her friend and tightened her grip on the small weapon she was holding.

"He or _she_ simply walked right into Arai's office," Shizuru continued – ignoring Kanae completely. "Arai's trust was so strong that he never even looked up. And then the murderer shot him – right in the head; Arai never even had a chance for survival."

Shizuru could faintly see tears begin to stream down Omori's face. The small droplets fell onto the woman's shirt, thought Omori quickly tried to wipe them away. Shizuru glanced over at Kanae with a faint smile. Kanae's glare deepened, and she wound her finger around the trigger dangerously.

"Careful, Viola-san," Nao warned over the ear piece. Just because she seems to be fairly stable, doesn't mean that she'll stay that way. Agent Kruger will be there any second now and the teams will arrive a few minutes after her. But until then, stay away from direct accusations."

"I told you to stop," Kanae hissed. Her tone of voice made Shizuru hesitate; for the first time since Kanae had grabbed her gun, Shizuru had begun to consider her a direct threat. "Just ignore her," Kanae instructed Omori. Omori looked up to meet her friend's gaze, but didn't reply. Kanae took one look at her friend's face and reached into her pocket. "I'm calling the police," she said quickly as she took out her cell phone.

"It's too late for that, Kanae-san," Shizuru bluffed. "I'm not going to stop until I can prove that you're involved in this. Now that I know what to look for, the investigation won't last more than a few days."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kanae snapped. "We had nothing to do with his murder, and you know it."

"No?" Shizuru asked, then paused for a moment. She studied Kanae's body language once more. She had switched into a more defensive pose, as if she was being directly attacked. Still, she seemed to be surprisingly in control of her emotions. Whether on not she was responsible for Arai's death, she probably wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything rash. Still, her tense grip on the gun _did_ worry Shizuru. "Arai trusted you, didn't he?" Shizuru continued. "You walked into his office, and he didn't even look up from his desk. But that only made it easier," Shizuru spoke quietly. "You never even had to see his face."

The stunned look on Kanae's face mirrored the one on Omori's perfectly. The two women exchanged glances once more, and Omori seemed to be one step closer to breaking down entirely. Kanae turned back to Shizuru – her face contorting in anger. She lifted the gun up a little higher and opened her mouth to speak.

"When you pulled the trigger, the recoil was almost too much for you, wasn't it?" Shizuru continued. "...Were you surprised by how much blood there was?"

"Shut up!" Kanae yelled. Omori flinched visibly.

"Look, Agent Kruger is almost there," Nao spoke firmly. "_Hold_ _on._ I don't like where this is heading."

Shizuru's focus shifted back over to Omori. The woman was shaking even more violently.

"But you weren't alone, of course," Shizuru continued – deciding to use Nao's previous idea and directly target Omori. She turned to the brown-haired woman with a neutral expression. "It must have been hard to both cover up for a murder and try to act like everything was normal the following week." Shizuru paused for a moment as Omori met her gaze. "...Especially with a child on the way."

"Wh...how did you..." Omori whispered.

"Don't," Kanae cut her off warningly, then turned back to Shizuru. "You keep her out of this," she demanded furiously.

"But she was involved, wasn't she?" Shizuru replied – the tone in her voice definitely making her statement more of an observation than a question.

"I said keep her _out_ of this," Kanae snarled.

"Shizuru!" Nao yelled loudly – forgetting all formalities. "_Stop_ it."

"She involved herself," Shizuru spoke finally. She locked eyes with Omori – a fierce intensity in her gaze. "He had a family," Shizuru spoke softly. "Did that mean nothing to you?"

"Don't," Omori spoke finally. The word seemed to barely make it out of her mouth.

"Omori..." Kanae began nervously.

"Don't," Omori snapped fiercely, "even try to pretend that that bastard's life was worth something." Tears began streaming freely down her face, and Omori soon gave up on trying to brush them away.

Kanae's eyes widened in surprise. Even Shizuru was visibly caught off guard.

* * *

Nao stared at the screen, open-mouthed. It took Chie's bursting through the door to snap her out of her daze.

"What did I miss?" Chie panted.

"Only the most crucial development we've seen so far," Nao replied – her eyes never leaving the video feed. Chie frowned slightly, and walked over to watch the screen as well.

"Agent Zhang?" Natsuki's voice sounded through the speakers beside them. "We're pulling into the parking lot now."

"Don't pull in at all," Nao ordered quickly. "Stop the car where you are and go in on foot. Make sure that Sasaki stays in the car. Head towards the east end of the building and make sure that you stay out of sight. And move fast, Agent Kruger. Things are definitely starting to heat up."

"I need to know what's going on. Is Agent Viola alright?" Natsuki demanded. "You," Natsuki's voice suddenly sounded more distant, "don't even _think_ about getting out of this car. Got it?"

Nao watched as Natsuki quickly got out of the white Toyota near the lot entrance. The car was barely in the secondary camera's line of sight. "You'll know what's going on when I do," Nao replied. Her gaze quickly shifted back to the screen displaying Shizuru.

* * *

Natsuki gritted her teeth together angrily. Nao was supposed to keep her informed_._ With her heart racing quickly, Natsuki started to jog towards the east end of the building. She was careful to stay behind the largest cars that she could find; she didn't want someone from the office seeing that she had a weapon. A quick glance at the street confirmed that the cars driving past were too far away to see her weapon. It did make sense; someone would have definitely called the police by now if they had seen Kanae with Shizuru's 9mm.

When Natsuki neared the east edge of the building, she sprinted straight for the corner and flattened against the wall. All she had to do was take another step forward, and she would be able to see Shizuru. She glanced down at the windows to her left, and was careful to position herself so that she was out of sight. The sound of Kanae's voice made Natsuki stiffen instantly. They were just around the corner. "_Do I have time to go around and approach them from behind?" _Natsuki wondered.

"Omori!" Kanae yelled. "Stop it!"

Natsuki's raised her weapon slowly. Her hands were still trembling, but her grip tightened to compensate.

"Hold your position," Nao ordered. "Don't move until I say so. I don't think you'll be able to make it around without being seen, so I want you to approach them head-on when I say so."

Natsuki inhaled a shaky breath, and nodded in the nearest camera's direction.

* * *

"Agent Kruger is here to back you up," Nao informed Shizuru. "I can send her in any time."

Shizuru felt a mixture of both relief and panic. She was grateful that someone had finally reached her for assistance, but the idea of putting Natsuki in front of another loaded gun made her stomach tighten painfully. Was Nao really sure that sending Natsuki in was a wise idea? Especially considering everything that had happened.

"No, _you_ stop," Omori replied firmly to Kanae. "What are we doing?" she demanded. More tears streamed down her face. "He deserved... he deserved everything that h...he..." her voice trailed off weakly. A startled look of realization crossed her face. "Oh God," she whispered. "What did we do?" Omori turned slowly to face Kanae.

Kanae's eyes met her wordlessly. "...I...If we had just given him time to explain, or..." Omori began.

"Don't," Kanae yelled forcefully. She turned to face Shizuru, and hesitated – as if just realizing that Shizuru was there. She turned back to face Omori and shook her head. The look on her face was desperate.

"Why did you do it?" Shizuru quietly asked. "I don't understand."

"If... if I could take it back, or..." Omori stuttered.

"Don't," Kanae spoke fiercely. "You know as well as I do that he deserved nothing less."

"I tried to believe that,"Omori whispered. "B...but I..." she inhaled shakily as a fit of sobs shook her body.

"Why did you kill him?" Shizuru asked softly again.

"Does it matter?" Kanae laughed bitterly. Tears began to cascade gently down her face.

"It might not matter to a judge," Shizuru replied, "but it does to me." She silently waited for the other woman to speak.

"She was in love with him," Kanae spoke softly. She turned to face her friend, and Shizuru inferred that Kane was talking about Omori. "And he knew it."

"I...I thought that he was going to leave her for me," Omori whispered.

"Arai's wife?" Shizuru asked. Omori confirmed her question with a small nod.

"I thought... especially after he found out that I was having our child that he would..."she trailed off. "When I told him that I was pregnant, I actually expected him to be happy. I...I don't know why," Omori added quickly. She swallowed forcefully and stared blankly towards the ground. "But instead, he was furious. At first, anyway. He told me to get rid of it, like... like our child was just something to be... disposed of," Omori continued numbly. "I thought that he was just shocked. That he just wasn't thinking properly. And sure enough, a couple days later, he apologized," she laughed bitterly. "He started making sure that I wasn't drinking alcohol, that I was eating properly. He said that he just wanted our baby to be healthy. He... he even started giving me pills for my morning sickness," she whispered.

Shizuru's stomach tightened painfully. She didn't like where the story was headed.

"They didn't work," Omori continued after a few short breaths. "They just left me feeling exhausted, but he insisted that I keep taking them everyday. One weekend, I left the bottle at work. So I went out and bought some replacements and took those. The Monday that I got back, he saw me with a different brand of pills and just... freaked out. I told him that the new brand worked better, but he insisted that the kind that he kept giving me was the best," Omori inhaled a shaky breath as she struggled to speak. "I ignored him and took the ones that worked," she continued. "Then Kanae saw him empty the bottle with the pills that I had bought and put in replacements, and we just... knew that something was wrong."

"I sent a sample of the pills that she was taking to this place that I found on-line for chemical analysis," Kanae added. "I made her promise not to take any more of the pills until we got the results back," she said quietly.

"And?" Shizuru asked – feeling surprisingly breathless.

"They contained high concentrations of thalidomide," Kanae replied – anger flaring dangerously in her eyes. Shizuru's eyes widened slightly.

* * *

"What?" Nao asked quickly. She took her eyes off the screen to look at Yohko. "What's that?"

Yohko started at the screen with a shocked look on her face. Nao waited for her to respond, but there was no answer.

"Agent Helene?" Nao repeated.

"Thalidomide," Yohko spoke quietly, "was a drug first introduced as a sedative. It was used to combat morning sickness, but was removed from the open market when doctors discovered that mothers taking thalidomide had around a forty percent change of miscarriage. And even if the child was born successfully, thalidomide can cause life-threatening defects. Many infants died just a few years after birth."

Nao turned back to the screen with a queasy feeling rising in her stomach.

"I...I think I might throw up," Yohko spoke softly.

* * *

Natsuki stared blankly at the parking lot in front of her. She could only make out some of Yohko's explanation over her ear piece, but it was enough. A feeling of nausea washed over her quickly. _That is so twisted._

"W...why didn't you go to the police?" Shizuru asked finally. Natsuki could hear her voice clearly from her position – clearly enough to realize that Shizuru was as shocked as she was.

"You know how much status and power he had," Kanae replied. "He had so many connections it would have been impossible for the police to have done anything. When I realized how far he was willing to go to hide his affair, I knew that we had to do something and _fast_."

There was a long moment of silence. "Move in, Agent Kruger," Nao instructed – a detectable sadness in her voice. "I don't think you'll have a problem."

Natsuki nodded at the camera and raised her weapon once more. Taking a deep breath, she turned the corner with the gun outstretched before her.

Kanae's eyes widened from her position around five feet away. Omori's did the same. Shizuru turned to follow their gaze – her breath hitching when she saw Natsuki walk over.

Natsuki forced her eyes to stay fixed on Kanae. With a few small steps, she was directly in front of her. "I think it's time for you to give that to me," she said softly – her words more gentle than commanding. Kanae stared at her for a moment with silent intensity. "Please," Natsuki whispered.

Kanae hesitated for a moment, then slowly lowered the 9mm with a trembling hand. Natsuki reached out with her left and carefully took the gun from Kanae. As soon as the gun touched Natsuki's hand, both Natsuki and Shizuru breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well done, Agent Kruger," Nao said quietly. "The teams should be there in just a few minutes to take them off of your hands."

"What happens now?" Kanae asked shakily.

"The police will process your case," Natsuki replied. "We just have to wait for a little while." She took a step back, but kept her gun pointed at the two women.

"A...agent Kruger," Shizuru spoke shakily. She took a step towards Natsuki – stopping only around a foot away. "I... I apologize for earlier. If I had just run faster or..."

Natsuki studied the faint blush on her cheeks and quickly cut her off. "Don't," Natsuki couldn't help but smile. "If you had made it in time, we would have _never_ solved this case. And besides," Natsuki grinned, "we both know that I can take care of myself."

Shizuru smiled faintly and gave a small nod. She studied Natsuki's green eyes for a moment, then glanced down at the gun in Natsuki's hands. The smile on her face faded instantly.

Natsuki noticed the abrupt change and followed Shizuru's gaze down to her own outstretched hand. Her grip on the gun had loosened with the easing tension; her hand was trembling freely once more. Natsuki quickly tightened her grip to stop the shaking. She could feel her face start to burn almost immediately.

Shizuru watched as Natsuki's hand quickly tensed up, and looked back up at Natsuki. The younger woman blushed fiercely – as if her trembling was something to be embarrassed about. Shizuru wanted desperately to wrap her arms around the younger woman, but she restrained herself. Instead, she locked eyes with Natsuki and gently eased the gun out of her hand.

"Let me do that," she smiled softly. Hesitantly, she raised her free hand up to Natsuki's face and brushed a long strand of hair out of her eyes. She cupped the side of Natsuki's face with her hand and traced her thumb smoothly across her cheek.

"Okay," Natsuki whispered. Shizuru lowered her hand and took the other gun from Natsuki as well.

"Crap," Nao's voice made Natsuki jump. "You've been spotted. Ikeda parked his car just far enough over to be able to see you when he was getting in."

"What's wrong?" Shizuru asked quickly. Natsuki presumed that Nao hadn't had time to send her the same message.

Natsuki whirled around and studied the parking lot, but saw nothing. Shizuru shifted on her feet a little, but was careful to keep her gun fixed on Kanae. "Kruger-san?" Shizuru asked, though she kept her eyes straight ahead.

Natsuki's eyes scanned the parking lot again. "Ikeda's seen us," she stated, though she saw nothing. Was Nao mistaken?

"He's moving," Nao announced. "And after what Sasaki must have told him, who knows what he thinks is going on. Let's just hope he's not stupid enough to try and play hero," she added – tension in her voice. There was a short pause. "Kruger, he's armed and he's going for his gun!" she yelled.

"Where?" Natsuki demanded. Shizuru tensed up.

Suddenly, there was movement from the edge of the building. Ikeda stepped out from the edge where Natsuki had been – his gun pointing towards the grass. "Drop it!" he screamed.

Shizuru spun – her gun raised – and pointed her weapon directly at him like she had been trained to do.

Natsuki watched as the sharp movement made Ikeda's eyes widen in terror. He must have believed that Shizuru was going to shoot him. Without a moment's hesitation, he raised the gun up and Natsuki watched – unable to breathe – as the muscles in his arms tensed abruptly.

Natsuki recognized the tensing a split second before Shizuru.

He was pulling the trigger.

Without pausing to think, Natsuki spun and slammed into Shizuru's side as hard as her weight would allow. Shizuru barely managed to hold onto her weapon as she was shoved into the building wall, and out of the line of fire.

A deafening gunshot shattered the silence.

Natsuki fell backwards with such a velocity that she barely had time to close her eyes as she hit the ground. She winced as the cool grass contacted her skin, but the sensation was soon replaced by a burning warmth.

A second gunshot rang out a split second later. Natsuki turned her head to watch as Ikeda cried out in pain, dropped the gun that he was holding, and staggered back. Shizuru had managed to clip his right arm. Natsuki watched, blinking to clear her vision as Shizuru ran forwards and grabbed the fallen weapon.

"I'm armed because I am an undercover law enforcement officer," she snarled. It took her a moment to regain her composure. "Over there," she spoke finally – gesturing for Ikeda to stand beside Omori and Kanae.

Natsuki slowly opened and closed her eyes. She watched through blurring vision as Ikeda stumbled towards Omori and Kanae – his face contorted with pain. Kanae moved to help him immediately. "Take off your jacket and press it to the wound," Shizuru ordered. "I may have hit your brachial artery, so apply as much pressure as you can. It will minimize your blood loss."

Nao cursed, then took a long, deep breath. "That could have turned out so much worse," she laughed in relief. "Agent Kruger, you officially..." she trailed off gradually.

Natsuki inhaled in quick, shallow bursts as the burning sensation in her side flared up. The feeling slowly turned to a deep, agonizing pain. Natsuki tried to prop herself up with her right arm, but the burning grew even stronger and she fell back to the ground; the little air that was left in her lungs was expelled in a quick burst. Natsuki struggled not to cry out as she grasped her left side. A tingling sensation shot up and down her body as she retracted her hand – shocked by the way that it had slipped on contact. She raised her hand up towards her face, though the movement took considerable concentration.

Her eyes widened when – through her rapidly blurring vision – all that she could make out was the color red.

"Agent Kru..." Nao began, but stopped abruptly. A loud curse followed. "Shizuru!" she yelled through their ear pieces.

Drops of warm blood trailed down Natsuki's hand and fell onto her neck.

"Natsuki," Shizuru whispered breathlessly. The name came out sounding almost like a question. There was a soft thump as Shizuru's gun hit the grass. "Natsuki!" Shizuru repeated – this time yelling. Natsuki forced her eyes open and watched as Shizuru seemed to almost stumble onto the ground beside her. "I need you to take slow breaths," Shizuru pleaded. "Can you do that for me?"

Natsuki cried out, as Shizuru pressed down firmly on the gunshot wound. Natsuki tried to slow her breathing down as she had been trained, but each time that she inhaled the sharp pain in her side cut into her like a knife. "Your jackets. Now." Shizuru demanded from Omori and Kanae. There was no response. "Now!" Shizuru hissed. Natsuki watched as Omori frantically ripped her jacket off and handed it to Shizuru. Shizuru quickly removed her blood-soaked hands from the wound and bunched the jacket up. Carefully, she elevated Natsuki's head and slid the jacket underneath.

"I...is it bad?" Natsuki wheezed.

Shizuru quickly slid her hand underneath Natsuki's back. When she had confirmed that there was no exit wound, she quickly pressed the second jacket to Natsuki's side. "Is it bad?" Shizuru repeated, as if to confirm what Natsuki had asked. She forced a smile and shook her head. "No," she spoke – her voice quivering uncontrollably. "It shouldn't be a problem. Especially for you," she forced a small laugh.

"I've got a trauma team from the nearest hospital on the way," Nao spoke quickly into Shizuru's ear piece. Shizuru could hear the panic in Nao's voice. "Keep the pressure on," Nao ordered. "But Shizuru... if... if the bullet hit one of her internal organs..." Nao tailed off; no more words were needed.

"I'm doing everything that I can," Shizuru snapped. She watched helplessly as the pool of blood around the jacket continued to swell. "I can't slow the bleeding," she said quickly – panic evident in her voice.

"It... it doesn't hurt as much now," Natsuki whispered through shallow breaths. The burning pain in her side had rapidly dulled into a numb ache. Natsuki blinked her eyes a few more times to try and clear her vision, but wasn't successful.

"Good," Shizuru forced herself to speak, though she knew that Natsuki's lack of pain was anything but good.

"That just means that she's going into shock," Nao warned shakily. "She's losing too much blood, Shizuru!"

"I know," Shizuru snapped angrily. She didn't need Nao to keep reminding her that the injury was serious. She shifted all of her weight onto the wound with her left hand, and used her right to force open one of Natsuki's eyes. Her pupils were so dilated that Shizuru could barely see the green in her eyes; Natsuki had been in shock for some time. "Deep breaths, Natsuki," Shizuru said soothingly. There was no response. "...Natsuki?"Shizuru repeated. "Natsuki!"

Natsuki could barely hear her speak. She tried to open her mouth, but her body had ceased responding entirely.

Everything slowly faded into black.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! :D Reviews are very welcome!**

**PS: Please don't kill me guys! It really did seem logical to end it there, lol. Besides you can't **_**really**_** say that it's a cliff hanger, cause there simply is no Shiznat without the 'nat'. * goes completely pale and slowly backs away * … Right? :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

Hey Guys, :D. So this chapter is very long over-due. I'm really sorry that this took me so long to write. School has been insane and I have exams coming up, but then at least I'll have a four month summer. So hopefully I'll have more time to write soon. Anyway, I finished writing this like 10 minutes ago and decided to just go ahead and post it, even though it's not as massive as my usual chapters for this story. It hasn't been edited either (other than by me, which... let's just call it unedited lol), so hopefully it'll be bearable.

Lol, I have to say I was surprised by the amount of "OMG, you did NOT just kill Natsuki" reviews last time. :D Lol, I may be a bit sadistic sometimes, but please don't worry – killing of Natsuki is definitely not on my agenda. :D I've invested too much time writing and wishing I had time to write into this story, so I'm definitely going to see it through (even if at this rate I may well by 90 when it's finally finished, lol. :D

I also didn't have time to reply to everyone's reviews last chapter, which I am really sorry about (I thought it may be a little weird to reply when I had time like a month later lol). But I really will try to find the time to for this one.

Oh, and xEvilAngel56x drew me an awesome picture for this story (Thanks once again!)! I totally love it and you guys should check it out! You can link to it through her profile page or get to it on her deviantart account. Here's a link (hope it works):

http : / xevilangel56x . deviantart . com / # / d30gv0v

Just take out the spaces to use it. :D

As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated, and I do read every one of them. :D Thank so much for reading and I hope that you enjoy it! :D

* * *

**Chapter #7: Broken**

_"Where is that noise coming from?" _Natsuki wondered as she glanced down the long hallway behind her. It was deserted. Pivoting on the heel of her black dress shoe, Natsuki turned back and continued walking. Her eyes briefly scanned the closed doors as she moved past – absorbing what little information could be obtained from the small coded numbers that had been painted on. _10462, 10463, 10464. _She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for, but something in the back of her mind told her that she hadn't found it yet. _10465, 10466._

"It's cold in here," Natsuki stated to herself as the realization first hit her. The words echoed down the hallway quietly – becoming obscured as they almost seemed to get tangled up in each other. She stopped mid-step and waited for the sound to die down. "_Weird," _Natsuki thought to herself as she glanced down the hallway yet again.

Her footsteps didn't echo. Neither did the incessant beeping noise that Natsuki had decided was intended to slowly dive her insane. With a small sigh, Natsuki continued walking. _104467, 104468, 104469. _Suddenly, a gust of cool air sent shivers racing up her spine. With gritted teeth, Natsuki forced herself to continue. _104469, 10... wait. _Natsuki stopped in her tracks and stared at the blank door beside to her right. Her gaze traced over the area where there _should_ have been a number. Another gust of air – colder this time – sent her hair flying into her face. Natsuki took a step back and glanced at the previous door, rereading the number out to herself. _104469. _A queasy feeling settled in the bottom of her stomach as she walked back over to the blank door and stopped.

"Nice try," Natsuki growled, glancing back down the hallway. Her gaze shifted back to the blank doorway once more, and she smirked – shaking her head as she started to walk away. "There is no way that I'm going in there," she muttered. But the next door was as equally unmarked as the previous. Natsuki frowned to herself; the door after that had no number as well. "I'm _not _going in there," Natsuki stated defiantly to no one in particular. She turned right around and started walking in the direction that she had come from. When she had passed the three blank doors, she – almost involuntarily – breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze flickered up towards the door she knew for a fact was marked only to find it... _Blank?_

Panicking a little, Natsuki walked over to the next door. Now it was unlabeled too. "Really?" Natsuki growled – her tone laced with annoyance and just the smallest hint of fear. The sound bounced around from wall to wall. Without a second thought, Natsuki turned and started jogging. Her shoes clacked noisily as she picked up speed – eyes frantically scanning the doors for the numbers that been there only minutes before. Now they were _all_ blank.

As she continued to run, the beeping gradually started to get louder. Heart racing, Natsuki picked up her pace. _Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank. Blank._

_Wait._

She stopped suddenly – strands of her hair falling in front of her face as she gasped hungrily for air. Her eyes scanned the door that she had stopped beside. _104469. _She read the number over and over, as if to confirm that it was still there. But even though she had stopped running, the beeping continued to get louder. It coursed through her violently – so loud that she could no longer even hear the blood pounding in her ears. Not seeing any other options, Natsuki's hand grasped the cool handle of the door. With considerably more effort than she had expected, she pulled the door open and took a step inside. Using all of her weight to help her, Natsuki turned, slowly forced the door closed, and then heaved a sigh of relief.

The warmth was the first thing that hit her. The second was the silence. It was as if the beeping had never been there in the first place.

"Ikeda-san," a melodic voice laughed.

Natsuki whirled around – her heart racing; she would recognize that laugh anywhere. For a split-second she felt relieved, safe even. But the image she was met with left her instantly winded. "Shizuru," Natsuki whispered before she could stop herself.

Both Shizuru and Ikeda stood in the middle of the room. The dark-haired man quickly turned to look at Natsuki. The look of surprise on his face was clear, but Natsuki barely took notice of it.

She was too busy staring at the way that his arms were wrapped around Shizuru's waist.

"Kruger-san?" Shizuru frowned slightly. Gently, she pulled Ikeda's hands from her and took a step back. "Is something wrong?"

Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her gaze continuously flickered from Shizuru to Ikeda. _She... He... _Her mind frantically tried to rationalize their close proximity as anything other than romantic involvement. Finally, she bit down on her lower lip – deciding that it was best not to say anything at all; she didn't know if she could mask the jealousy in her voice.

Ikeda gave Natsuki a moment to reply, before turning to face Shizuru. The two seemed to exchange some sort of meaningful look, though no words were spoken. Ikeda nodded slightly, then turned and started to walk towards the door.

"Kuga-san," Ikeda nodded. With that, he politely brushed passed her and walked out of the room. Natsuki watched as the door closed behind him. _"What did he just call me?" _Natsuki wondered. She replayed what he had said a few times, before it finally hit her.

"He called me Kuga," she spoke suddenly – turning around to face Shizuru. "Viola-san, he called me Kuga. He... he's a suspect," she concluded with widening eyes. "He doesn't even know my real name."

Shizuru just stared at her for a moment. Natsuki studied her dark red eyes carefully – searching for any clue to what she was thinking. Finally, Shizuru let out a small sigh. "I suppose he is," she replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. She hesitated for a moment, then took a step towards Natsuki. "I am aware that I...I shouldn't really be... _involved_ with one of our suspects, but..." she trailed off for a moment and took another step towards Natsuki.

"...It's just... the way that he laughs," Shizuru continued after a moment – her red eyes sparkling in a way that made Natsuki's breath catch. The brown-haired woman continued to walk toward Natsuki at a slow, but steady, pace. "And the confident way that he walks," Shizuru spoke – lowering her voice a little as she got closer. Natsuki bit down on her lip, as her stomach clenched tightly. She didn't need to hear this, and she _definitely_ didn't want to.

"And the way that he smiles," Shizuru added, by now so close to Natsuki that they were almost touching. Natsuki swallowed hard, and reflexively took a step back. Shizuru quickly countered with a small step forwards. Natsuki tried to move away once again, only to feel her back press up against the cool wall behind her.

"And the way that he says my name," Shizuru continued - locking eyes with Natsuki as she placed her left hand on the wall beside the navy-haired agent's shoulder. Natsuki's face started to burn instantly; Shizuru was effectively trapping her there. Taking another small step, Shizuru placed her right hand on Natsuki's side - letting it slide along her waist with just enough pressure to make the younger woman shiver. "And..." Shizuru began - her whisper barely audible.

"What are you doing?" Natsuki whispered. It took considerable effort to force the words out at all. She forced herself to lock eyes with Shizuru; the intensity in the other woman's gaze made her tremble before she could stop herself.

"...the way that he does this," Shizuru whispered breathlessly. She took her left hand from the wall and used it to gently tip Natsuki's face upwards. With just a hint of a smile playing across Shizuru's face, she dragged her tongue lightly over her bottom lip and started to tilt her own face down towards Natsuki's.

"Don't," Natsuki pleaded - immobilized by a mixture of intense desire and fear.

"Do you want me to stop?" Shizuru asked quietly. She paused for a moment, but didn't move away.

Natsuki's heart pounded furiously as she tried to form words. "...Y...yes," she finally whispered back - the word barely making it out. Shizuru seemed to hesitate - just for a moment - before her lips curled up into the smallest of smiles.

In a tantalizingly slow movement, the brown-haired woman bent her head down beside Natsuki's ear. "...I don't believe you," she whispered - exhaling warm air down Natsuki's neck. Natsuki stifled a gasp as Shizuru suddenly pulled away.

"Ara," Shizuru mused, "perhaps you should get that looked at."

Natsuki's brow wrinkled in confusion. _What is she talking ab... _Natsuki inhaled sharply, as Shizuru raised her right hand up.

The brown-haired woman's hand was coated in blood.

"W...what..." Natsuki stuttered. A panicked feeling struck her instantly. She bent her head down - following Shizuru's gaze - to her own left side. Natsuki gasped - unable to speak - as she stared at the blood rapidly soaking through her shirt.

That's when it hit her. "Wait," Natsuki's eyes snapped back to meet Shizuru's. "...He...he did this. Shizuru, you don't understand!" Natsuki spoke frantically as she looked over at the door that Ikeda had used to leave. "He did this to me! You can't just... you... you can't..."

"Shhh," Shizuru silenced her softly. "It's alright, Kruger-san." The brown-haired woman walked over to Natsuki once more and placed her left hand gently on Natsuki's forehead. "Just close your eyes," she whispered.

"No! You don't underst..." Natsuki continued to protest.

"Natsuki," Shizuru soothed, "look at me." Natsuki shook her head, and opened her mouth to protest once more. "Look at me," Shizuru repeated firmly.

Natsuki hesitated - panic still coursing through her - before allowing herself to look Shizuru in the eyes. Almost immediately she felt her pounding heart start to slow. Her panic was gradually replaced by a soothing warmth.

"Shhh," Shizuru whispered once more. She slid her hand slowly from Natsuki's forehead down to cover her eyes, and Natsuki felt her eyelids grow heavy.

Finally - with a contented sigh - she allowed her eyes to slowly drift closed.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Look, I'm not saying that I _would _rip it out. I'm just saying that I _could._"

Natsuki struggled to open her eyes, but she found herself instantly blinded by the bright light above her. _Where... where am I? _Slowly, she became aware of the dull ache in her left side.

"You want credit for not ripping the IV out of the arm of an agent that was in critical no more than four hours ago? Are you serious?"

With a wince, Natsuki carefully opened her eyes once more – trying to let them adjust gradually this time. "_Those voices," _Natsuki realized. _"I...I know those voices." _Her mind searched for the names that seemed to be on the tip of her tongue.

"I'm just stating that I could forcefully win any time that I wanted to. So really, I don't think that's it's fair to you if we _don't_ just call the bet off right now," the first voice continued.

"Oh _nice,_ Agent Zhang. You're just panicking cause in twelve minutes time, you're actually going to have to admit that you were wrong."

"_Agent Zhang," _Natsuki realized – the name setting off a chain reaction of memories flooding through her mind. The other agents. Her new post. Garderobe. The case.

The moments just before she had gotten shot.

"I am genuinely startled by your hostility," Nao replied. "I'm trying to do you a favor."

"Just pay up now," Chie countered with a smirk. "I need to buy a new phone anyway."

Natsuki watched as the room slowly shifted into focus. With a small turn of her head, she examined the equipment that she was currently hooked up to. _"Upside: I've finally found out where that beeping is coming from,"_ Natsuki realized in annoyance as she studied the electrocardiograph set up beside her. _"Downside: it's not shutting up unless my heart stops beating."_ A quick check confirmed that the room was probably too large to be an ordinary hospital room – leading Natsuki to believe that she was in Garderobe's infirmary.

"We have movement!" A triumphant voice announced loudly beside Natsuki. Natsuki slowly tried to sit up, only to find the pain in her side flare up quickly. Biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain, she flopped back down on the bed – exhaling sharply. "Welcome back Kruger-san!"

Chie cursed loudly. Nao let out a rather spectacular snicker. "And you wouldn't take my offer," she reminded Chie with a smirk.

Natsuki turned to regard the woman who had directly addressed her – recognizing the red-haired woman almost instantly. "Arigato, Agent Sugiura," Natsuki replied. "It's good to be back." Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Natsuki tried to sit up once more. "...I think," she hissed. Pain tore through her side once again, and Natsuki was unable to stifle a curse.

"Hey!" Agent Helene burst through the infirmary doors with an annoyed look on her face. "What did I say about her waking up?"

"To let you know immediately and not to let her move around?" Midori replied.

"That would be it," Yohko replied with an expectant look on her face.

"Well in that case Yohko-chan," Midori stated, "I feel I should let you know that Kruger-san is now awake."

Yohko gave Midori an unimpressed look. "Thank you. I had no idea, whatsoever," she replied sarcastically, though she was unable to hide the amused smile on her face.

Natsuki glanced around the large room. Her eyes scanned the row of empty beds beside her, but she didn't find what she looking for. _ "Where's Shizuru?" _She wondered – a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. She replayed the last moments before she had lost consciousness, biting her lip a little when she remembered just how helpless she had felt. _"I guess Shizuru just had better things to do," _Natsuki decided – her emotions a mixture of bitter realization and sharpening anger. _"Even Agent Sugiura's here," _Natsuki mentally snapped. _"And I only talked to her __**once**__."_

"In Agent Sugiura's defense, Agent Kruger just woke up a second ago," Nao cut in. Midori turned to face Nao with a genuinely surprised look on her face; since when did Nao defend anyone? "Which – I might add – was at precisely 1:48," Nao finished triumphantly. She turned to look at Chie with a satisfied grin on her face. Midori watched the exchange and rolled her eyes a little. With that, she walked back over to her chair and sat down.

"What is going on with you two?" Yohko asked Chie and Nao in an exasperated tone.

"Why would you think that something was going on between us?" Nao countered with a raised eyebrow. Chie gulped a little at the look on Yohko's face.

"Agent Sugiura?" Yohko demanded, turning to stare at the red-headed woman directly. Midori paled instantly.

"They had a bet running to see what time she would wake up," Midori relented. "Nao won," she added with a shrug. "Kruger-san, you must have a very fast metabolism."

"Out!" Yohko groaned.

"Hey!" Midori pouted.

"All of you," The doctor insisted. Nao couldn't help but smirk as Yohko grabbed Midori and forced her towards the door.

"Wait!" Midori cried out – breaking free to grab the box of chocolates on the small desk beside Natsuki's bed.

"Hey," Natsuki frowned. She tried to clear her throat a little when the words came out sounding hoarse. Why was her mouth so dry? "Aren't those supposed to be for me?"

"Hmm?" Midori stared at her blankly. "Oh, no, they're not. I'm a nervous eater," she explained.

"Please leave," Yohko replied with an exasperated laugh. Placing her hand on the red-haired agent's arm, she quickly guided her out of the room.

"I'm glad that you're okay, Kruger-san," Midori called out over her shoulder. There was a softness in her voice that wasn't there before. When she, Nao and Chie had left the room, Yohko gently closed the door behind them.

"I feel the need to apologize for their horrible bedside manner," Yohko laughed.

Natsuki couldn't help but smile. "It's fine."

There was a small pause. Yohko hesitated for a moment – not entirely sure how she should proceed. Natsuki watched with interest as the doctor finally started to walk towards her bed.

"I'm going to presume that you've already figured out where you are," Yohko smiled gently. "To be honest, you seem to be unusually responsive upon waking up. When most people given the same treatment regain consciousness they aren't very lucid, which leads me to believe that you _do_ function at an unusually high metabolic rate." Yohko paused, and waited for Natsuki to look her in the eyes. "And if your body dealt with the drug that I'd given you to help you regain consciousness that quickly, I'm going to guess that you're metabolizing the pain killers just as fast."

Natsuki hesitated, then glanced down at her side. The throbbing continued persistently. "It's really not that bad," she lied. But it wasn't only the pain that was the bothering her; her stomach clenched tightly as she tried to sort out the pieces of the case that she remembered.

"Agent Kruger?" Yohko raised an eyebrow. "Never lie to your doctor."

"I'm fine," Natsuki replied defensively – snapping out of her daze.

"Tell me again that you're not in any pain," Yohko challenged Natsuki. She glanced over at the heart-rate monitor and watched it expectantly.

Natsuki followed Yohko's gaze and rolled her eyes. "I'm not in any pain," she stated firmly.

A small smile formed on Yohko's face when the electrocardiograph showed no irregularities whatsoever. "You've had good training," she stated simply – turning back to Natsuki. The beeps emitted from the machine remained constant. "Though I don't really suppose this is as effective as a lie detector. Still, under the influence of those pain killers, disciplined heart-rate control is quite a feat. They tend to make people feel a little more... open."

Natsuki forced a small smirk onto her face. "Or maybe I'm just telling the truth."

Yohko locked eyes with the younger woman for a moment. In a decisive motion, she took a step forward and gently pressed down on Natsuki's abdomen – careful to avoid pressing directly on the entrance wound.

Natsuki barely had time to brace herself for the pain. She bit her lip firmly, but was unable to stop a sharp cry from escaping her lips. The beeps from the monitor suddenly doubled in rate.

"Okay, okay... easy..." Yohko said soothingly. She quickly removed her hands and waited for the grimace on the navy-haired agent's face to disappear. "I'm raising your dose," she announced. Natsuki opened her mouth to object, but Yohko raised her hand to stop her. "No arguments."

The young doctor walked over to the other side of Natsuki's bed and began to adjust the equipment. Natsuki craned her neck to watch. She thought about trying to protest once again, but after trying to shift her position once more, she quickly reconsidered. After a few seconds, Yohko turned and walked back around to the other side of the bed. She seemed to pause again, as if she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing.

"Is it alright if I have a seat?" Yohko asked Natsuki – gesturing to the bed.

Natsuki studied the worried look on the other woman's face and nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure," she replied. "It's your bed anyway," she added with a forced laugh.

Yohko gave a small smile, but it was soon replaced by a look of unconcealed concern. "You came out of surgery around forty-five minutes ago. I didn't perform the surgery, but I know the doctor who did," she spoke. "He's very good at what he does," she added. "It was performed at the hospital three blocks over. We had you transferred here as soon as you came out of critical condition."

There was a small pause. "The bullet entered through the left side of your abdomen and lodged itself in the tissue just beside the lower part of your stomach." Yohko placed her hand on her own side, as if to demonstrate. "Look, the last thing that I want to do is scare you Agent Kruger, so I'm just going to spare you the details."

"Don't," Natsuki spoke softly. She matched Yohko's questioning gaze evenly. "I want to know," she finished – her gaze dropping down to her own left side.

After a long pause, Yohko slowly nodded her head. The doctor cleared her throat as she readjusted her position on the bed. Natsuki was very aware of how uncomfortable she seemed to be. "...Any lower and your large intestine would have been hit. You would have gone septic," Yohko finally spoke. "Any higher, and the bullet would have impacted your stomach, and just four millimeters to the left and you would have shattered your lower rib, which may or may not have sent bone fragments flying off in..." Yohko trailed off, closing her eyes as if it took some effort to stop herself from continuing. "What I'm trying to say is that this was a _very_ close call," she continued. "You should consider yourself to be very lucky."

There was a brief pause before Natsuki nodded – her face quite pale, even taking into account her unusually fair complexion.

"Now that we've gotten all of that out of the way," Yohko laughed a little, "there are a couple of ground rules that I'm going to have to set."

Realization dawned on Natsuki's face, but – before the navy-haired woman could protest – she was cut off. "No leaving this bed for the next two days," Yohko stated firmly.

"_Two_...two days!" Natsuki exclaimed.

"Two days," the doctor repeated with a nod. "Now, as you can see, I've given you some prime real estate here," she smiled – gesturing to the bathroom that was only a few feet away. "But whenever you need to use the washroom, you're going to have to page me, and I'll help you over.

"Are you kidding me?" Natsuki groaned.

"Just be glad that I decided not to give you catheter, Agent Kruger," Yohko replied. "Other than that, you are not to engage in psychical activity of any kind. I'll be rolling you over onto your side and then your back in two-hour intervals. Please don't attempt it by yourself. I'll also be changing your bandages three times a day. We have to very careful to keep the wound clean. Oh, and if at any time you see any sort of fluid discharge from the wound, I want you to page me over immediately," Yohko added.

"Oh, that's just wonderful," Natsuki replied – her tone sarcastic, but her face completely neutral. "I will definitely let you know if anything starts to... ooze."

"I'd appreciate that," Yohko replied with a smile. "If you feel any signs of fever, nausea, dizziness – anything like that – let me know as well. Just push that button of the side of your bed and I'll make me way over. Like I said, the painkillers may do some whacky things to you. Nothing too extreme. They've been known to cause some particularly vivid dreams, but if you start to feel any worse then you do now, give me a call."

"Vivid dreams," Natsuki smirked. "You can say that again." Her mind wandered back to the dream she had just had. She was already starting to forget bit and pieces of it, but she could still remember how real everything had felt.

How real Shizuru had felt.

_ "Wait... did I really just say that out loud?" _Natsuki wondered. Her face burned a little as she looked up to see if Yohko had reacted.

"Oh?" Yohko asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Nightmare or fantasy?"

Natsuki hesitated, then laughed after a moment. At least the doctor didn't seem to think anything in particular of it. "Would you think it was weird if I honestly wasn't sure?"

"Ah," Yohko grinned. "That's the worst kind."

Natsuki nodded her head a little. "I'm with you on that one," she agreed – feeling a little bit of relief that the doctor hadn't asked her for details. "So, speaking of Agent Viola," she continued, "...did she go home for the day or..."

"Were we?" Yohko asked curiously.

"Were we what?" Natsuki replied – a confused look crossing her face before she could conceal it. _What is she talking about?_

"Talking about Viola-san," Yohko replied evenly. She studied the younger agent's face carefully.

"Well, yeah cause..." Natsuki stated, then stopped abruptly. "Wait... what?" she continued – a look of panic crossing her face. Her cheeks burned before she could regain her composure. It was as if every facial expression took twice as long to suppress – almost as if she was a little tipsy. "I mean... no, we weren't, I just..."

"It's alright," Kruger-san," Yohko smiled. She gestured to the clear bag hooked up to Natsuki's IV. "You're just probably a little more prone to loose associations right now."

"Yeah," Natsuki forced a laugh, "I guess you could say I feel a little out of it."

"Interesting." Nao's voice made both Natsuki and Yohko turn towards the infirmary door. The red-haired agent was casually leaning against the doorway, but stepped into the room after a few moments had passed.

"Agent Zhang, Kruger-san really needs to rest right now," the doctor protested.

"I know," Nao agreed. "I just need a few minutes with her."

Natsuki studied Nao's face wearily – searching for a telltale smirk or mischievous glint in her eyes – but found nothing suspicious. "It's fine," Natsuki finally spoke. "I get the feeling that I'll have plenty of time to sleep later."

"...If you're sure," Yohko agreed. "Anyway Agent Kruger, the overall plan is that after two days we'll get you exercising. Then, in around six days – if everything goes as expected – you should be able to leave. You'll need to make the necessary preparations though" she continued. A confused look crossed Natsuki's face once again. "You may need some help getting around for a few days after your release. I recommend that you ask a friend to look after you," Yohko explained. "They could stay at your house, or have you stay at theirs. I can provide you with a good cover story if needed, and you'll just have to be careful not to let them see the wound. But I'm sure that director Wong would really rather that not be a loose end to worry about. It's probably be best if you keep this within our agency."

Natsuki nodded slowly. "Well, at least I have six days to work something out," she muttered. She'd just moved to Garderobe; she didn't even have any friends _outside_ of the agency that would be willing to live with her for a few days.

"Alright, well..." Yohko trailed off and glanced over at Nao once again. "...I guess I'll leave you both to it. Page me if you need anything." She walked over to the infirmary exit and closed the door gently behind her.

Natsuki looked up at Nao wearily. "Yeah?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

Nao took one look at the blatantly annoyed look on the navy-haired agent's face and grinned. "Sorry," she smirked, "I didn't realize that my standing here would have such a profound effect on you."

Natsuki sighed – nodding her head at Nao's point. "It's not that," she muttered, "...it's just the stupid painkiller I'm on."

"Yeah," Nao replied in agreement. "I heard it was doing all sorts of weird things to you. Like somehow planting the subconscious thought of Shizuru in all manner of compromising positions into your mind."

"Wow," Natsuki replied just a little too slowly. "I get shot by an idiot with a hero complex, shoved into an infirmary, loaded up with painkillers, and I happen to mention the name of the woman I took a bullet for, and the first thing that you think of is... _compromising _dreams_. _Really, Agent Zhang_. _And you call yourself a profiler," she smirked.

"Alright, Agent Kruger," Nao replied with an unimpressed look on her face, "you stated that the painkillers were effecting you." She paused for a moment to let Natsuki process what she had said. "I have _never_ heard you admit to vulnerability. You wouldn't pull out of a case that everyone knew could get you killed. You wouldn't admit to feeling fear after being held at gunpoint in a moving car. You wouldn't even admit to being in pain after being shot in the side. But suddenly – when you associate intense dreams with Agent Viola – you state that the painkillers have taken an effect on your mental acuity. I find that interesting, don't you, Agent Kruger?" she asked with a small smile.

Natsuki was torn between anger and embarrassment; was she really so easy to figure out?

"And though, I will admit that painkillers are an easy scapegoat," Nao continued, "I would like to point out that a scapegoat is only needed to cover something up. Your little Freudian slip told me that your dream was about Shizuru. But what sort of dreams starring Shizuru would need to be hidden? Add in the fact that your main insecurities appear to be about your sexuality and your obvious sexual attraction to Viola-san, and it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together," Nao stated. "...And yes, Agent Kruger, I call myself a profiler."

An enraged look had crossed Natsuki's face by the time that Nao had finished. "I am not attracted to Viola-san!" Natsuki snapped.

"No?" Nao asked innocently. "Actually, I'd say this went a little bit beyond physical attraction, wouldn't you? You, and I quote 'took a bullet for' Viola-san. Don't even _try_ to tell me that you would do that for just anyone."

"It's my job," Natsuki insisted angrily.

"It was your job to throw yourself in front of a speeding bullet?" Nao clarified. "Cause oddly enough, I don't think that's in your contract."

"Nao!" Natsuki yelled furiously. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Nao opened her mouth in mock surprise. "Oh, so we're using first names now?" she laughed gleefully. "I'm honored..._Natsuki_."

Natsuki winced, then slowly gritted her teeth. "Sorry," she forced the word out, though it took considerable effort. "Agent Zhang," she corrected, then went right back to glaring.

Nao couldn't help but grin. "Look," she stated in an amused tone. "I'm fine with you calling me by my fist name when we're off duty. It's more efficient. And I'm honestly not trying to antagonize you," she stated. "Though I will admit it _is_ a perk," she added as an afterthought.

Natsuki's glare hardened.

"Okay, here's the deal," Nao continued. With a quick movement, she sat down on the edge of Natsuki's bed. "Protocol states that after an incident such as this you're going to need to pass a physical and psychological screening before going back on active duty."

"No!" Natsuki's eyes widened in horrific realization.

"I'm the one in charge of your psychological screening," Nao stated – confirming Natsuki's fears.

Natsuki just stared at Nao for a moment before shaking her head. "So what exactly does this screening entail?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"It's nothing major," Nao commented. "We're just going to talk a little bit about what happened. The sooner the better. Alright?"

"Can't it wait until after I've recovered?" Natsuki asked with raised eyebrows.

"In cases like these it's actually better if we do this as soon as you can handle it," Nao replied, though she offered no explanation why. Natsuki held her questioning look. After a long moment, Nao sighed. "Recalling traumatic experiences in as much detail as possible soon after they occur helps to prevent post-traumatic stress," she explained.

"...Oh," Natsuki replied just a little bit too quietly. The seriousness of what had happened to her was starting to sink in.

"Do you think..." Nao started, then seemed to reconsider her statement. "Do you _feel_ that you are able to discuss what happened _now_?"

"Now?" Natsuki repeated – her eyes widening a little. She swallowed hard and forced herself to meet the red-haired agent's gaze. "Y...yeah, sure," she replied hoarsely.

Nao's studied the way that Natsuki's fist clenched her left arm. "...You know what, you really do need to get some sleep," Nao commented. Natsuki clearly needed some time to process what had happened. "I can come back later. And if I'm not mistaken – because we both know that I rarely am – you're probably wondering where Viola-san is," Nao added.

Natsuki didn't reply, but Nao didn't need verbal confirmation. She could see how badly Natsuki wanted to know.

"Agent Viola was ordered by Director Wong to remain at the office until the end of the work day. He gave her the whole 'one of the most important parts of a cover is getting out clean' speech. She'll have to keep working there until the end of the week. We managed to prevent the Foreign Affairs Office employees from getting close enough to the ambulance to see what happened, so we sold the shooting to the press as local gang activity."

"There's no known gang activity in the area," Natsuki replied with a small frown.

"There is now," Nao smirked. "I've got a couple first-class agents out spray-painting the nearby buildings for effect. The employees at the office believe that you got caught in the cross fire of two rival gangs."

"What about Ikeda?" Natsuki demanded. "He's not going to be held responsible for shooting me?"

"He will be," Nao replied, "...discretely."

"Discretely?" Natsuki repeated with raised eyebrows.

"Let's just say that since Ikeda was not actually responsible for Arai's death and believed that he was saving his employees by shooting you, the higher powers still want him in office. And the image of Garderobe's Foreign Affairs Minister shooting an agent in a delusional moment of glory isn't exactly something they want broadcast to the masses."

"I see," Natsuki replied slowly. She wasn't entirely surprised by what Nao had told her, but she couldn't help but be annoyed that Ikeda would get off with a slap on the wrist. "You didn't release my name, did you?" Natsuki asked as a horrific thought occurred to her. "To the press, I mean."

"No, of course not. Why?" Nao asked curiously.

"Because the last thing I need is my mother storming down here and finding out that my job description is a hell of a lot more interesting than it says on the pamphlet I sent her." Natsuki replied. "Plus she may not be thrilled with the idea of me getting shot."

"You're making me wish we _had_ released your name," Nao grinned. "Anyway, Agent Viola should drop by as soon as her shift ends."

"Okay," Natsuki replied – trying not to sound too hopeful. "She um..." Natsuki cleared her throat before trying to speak again. "She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to."

"I'll let her know," Nao replied with a smug look on her face. She studied Natsuki's face for a moment before nodding in Natsuki's general direction. "Get some rest Kruger-san. I'll see you later."

Natsuki watched wordlessly as Nao left the infirmary. Carefully, she lifted up her left arm to examine the IV sticking out of it. It was surprising how much effort such a small movement took. With a small sigh, she let her arm fall back onto the bed. She could feel the drugs working; the pain in her side had diminished and it was that much harder to keep her eyes open. Finally, she gave in and allowed her eyes to drift closed.

* * *

Shizuru took a deep breath before completing the walk up to the Agency's front entrance. Every step that she took felt like a battle between maintaining composure and collapsing. She forced herself to open the front door, averting her eyes from her reflection in the glass.

Her hands shook as she closed the door behind her. Shizuru's mind cycled through the events of the day uncontrollably, playing out scenes in painfully vivid detail. The startled looks on employee faces as they were sold the cover story by the local police. The sick feeling in her stomach as the other agents helped her scrub the blood off her hands and change so that she could get back to the office. The effort that it had taken to stop herself from flinching every time someone whispered Natsuki's name.

"Viola-san," Chie called out with a friendly smile. She stood up from her chair at the front desk, then hesitated. Shizuru could see the smile falter on Chie's face for the small moment before Chie could catch herself.

"Good evening, Hallard-san," Shizuru replied with a forced smile. The two agents stared at each for a long moment, each one unsure how to act under the circumstances.

"H...Helene-san said that Kruger-san has been drifting in and out, but that everything seems to be just fine," Chie offered.

"That's good to hear." Shizuru smiled genuinely. "You're working late," she added. It was already around seven. All of the employees not working a time-sensitive case would have already gone home for the day.

"I'm just finishing up," Chie replied. "I spoke to the janitor that Kruger-san was temping for, and he agreed to go back to work tomorrow. Let's just say that Masashi-san was... persuasive. I don't think he'll be giving you any trouble."

"That's good to hear." Shizuru nodded. "Ookini for the information." She walked over to the second door, swiped her key-card through the scanner, and pressed her thumb onto the pad. When the door opened, she turned back to give Chie a small smile goodbye, then walked down the hallway towards the infirmary.

When she had only taken a few steps, the door leading to the stairwell opened and Nao walked out towards her.

"Viola-san," Nao greeted her. "I was just leaving. Are you going in to see..." she trailed off and pointed towards the infirmary.

Shizuru followed her gaze and nodded. Before she could speak, Nao cut her off.

"Are you holding up okay?" Nao asked – trying to make the question sound as casual as possible.

"I'm alright," Shizuru replied mechanically, "ookini for asking."

Nao studied her face for a moment before nodding. "Well," she added, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." With that, Nao brushed passed her and started to head for the entrance.

"Agent Zhang," Shizuru called out hesitantly. Nao stopped and turned back to face the brown-haired agent.

"Yep?" Nao asked.

"...Ookini," Shizuru repeated – the word sounding far less forced the second time. "I don't... I don't think I would have been able to continue working if you hadn't been there to..." she hesitated – searching for the right words, "...keep me grounded," she said finally. Nao had been spent almost the entire day instructing Shizuru through her ear piece. Without her, Shizuru was almost certain that she would have fallen apart.

"No problem," Nao replied with a small grin, downplaying her contribution in her usual manner. "She asked about you," she added after a moment – gesturing once more to the infirmary behind Shizuru.

"...And?" Shizuru replied, suddenly finding it much harder to breathe.

"I told her that Director Wong ordered you to stay there and help the police sell the story."

"I see," Shizuru replied quietly, as she studied the floor in front of her. "Is that all?"

Nao studied the concerned look on the other agent's face. "I didn't tell her how _dangerously_ close to insubordinate you acted when he told you that you couldn't go with her to the hospital, if that's what you mean."

Shizuru's eyes snapped up to meet the other agents, and she cursed herself for acting so transparently.

"Director Wong was right, you know," Nao added. "There would have been too much suspicion if you weren't there to help smooth things over."

Shizuru hesitated. "I know," she replied.

"I also didn't tell her that in all the years I've known you, I've never seen you so close to breaking down," Nao added quietly.

Shizuru could only meet her gaze for a moment before looking away.

"_I_ didn't tell her," Nao repeated, "...but maybe _you_ should." The red-haired agent seemed to consider saying more, before finally turning and heading for the exit.

Shizuru watched her leave – immobilized while processing everything that she had said. Exhaling slowly, Shizuru finally turned and walked over to the infirmary door. She reached out – hand trembling violently – and wrapped her fingers around the door-handle.

Throughout the day it had seemed as if all her thoughts were consumed by the idea of speaking to Natsuki once more. But now that she was here, she had no idea what to say. She had raced home to change as soon as she had gotten off work and every step closer had felt ridiculously slow. Now she was struggling to work up the courage just to open the door.

Forcing her hand to twist the handle before she could reconsider, Shizuru gently opened the door and stepped inside.

Her shoes clicked quietly against the tile as she walked over to the only occupied bed – her view of Natsuki's face obstructed by the curtain draped sloppily around it. Heart pounding furiously, Shizuru peeled back the curtain and her gaze fell on the navy-haired agent before her.

The first thing that she noticed was the way that Natsuki's eyes appeared to busily shift beneath her closed eyelids – confirming that the younger agent was deep within a dream. Shizuru made her way over to the head of the bed, being careful to slow her footsteps down to the point where they were inaudible. Carefully, she sat down in the cushioned chair that had been dragged over by some previous visitor.

Shizuru's eyes traced the way that the white sheets were tucked around Natsuki's thin form, then rested on the younger agent's face. "_She still has that small, pensive frown," _Shizuru realized with a small smile. _"Even in her sleep." _Natsuki's hair was spread out onto her shoulders and the bed behind her – cascading down in such a way that it almost looked as if it had been positioned purposefully.

Just for one moment, Shizuru let herself forget why Natsuki was there.

But Natsuki shifted a little in her sleep and the beeps emanating from the electrocardiograph quickened before gradually falling back down to normal. Natsuki's arm fell down against the bed beside her and Shizuru's gaze dropped to the IV sticking out of her arm.

Just like that, the illusion was shattered.

The skin around the IV's entry point was bruised a dark shade of purple. When Shizuru looked at Natsuki's face once again, she could no longer focus on the almost peaceful expression that Natsuki wore. All she could see were dark circles under eyes and tangled hair and pale skin.

_Anyone else would look so... fragile._

"...But not you," Shizuru whispered softly – unsure if the words even made it out at all. Her vision slowly blurred as tears she had been holding back for what seemed like an eternity refused to be contained. "You are so _beautiful._"

Shizuru clasped a trembling hand to her mouth – physically holding back her sobs as tears streamed down her face. She gasped hungrily for air as her body shook uncontrollably – clenching her eyes in the effort not to make a sound.

"Shizuru?" The whisper sent chills up Shizuru's spine. Her eyes shot open and the image of Natsuki's concerned face slowly shifted into focus. Shizuru quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and inhaled as slowly as she could to regain her composure. "What's wrong?" Natsuki mumbled sleepily. Shizuru could see the younger woman was struggling to force her eyes open. _She must be exhausted._

"Shhh," Shizuru whispered soothingly, though her voice was laced with a telltale shakiness. "Everything's fine."

"Is this a dream?" Natsuki asked sleepily. Her eyelids fluttered open and closed as she tried to piece together what was going on.

Shizuru hesitated – unsure how to answer. Her mind screamed frantically for her to say 'yes', but she couldn't deny that there was a small part of her – some deep, unspoken desire – daring her to answer 'no'.

"...yes," Shizuru whispered. She couldn't help but flinch as she spoke. "Goodnight Agent Kruger." Wiping the last of the tears from her eyes, Shizuru started to get up out of her chair.

"Wait." Suddenly Natsuki's hand was on Shizuru's arm. The contact alone gave Shizuru goosebumps. The brown-haired woman turned back to face the younger agent wordlessly. "Can we just pretend that it isn't?" Natsuki whispered hazily. "Could you stay with me this time? Just for a little while?"

Natsuki's grip on Shizuru's arm tightened pleadingly. With newly-blurring vision, Shizuru found herself nodding before she could stop herself. "Of course," she murmured soothingly. Easing back into her chair, Shizuru carefully slid Natsuki's hand off of her arm. The younger woman's fingers seemed to almost reflexively intertwine with hers, and Shizuru traced small circles on the back of Natsuki's hand with her thumb. Using her other hand, Shizuru reached out and brushed the long hair from Natsuki's face. The younger woman's face seemed to relax into a small, content smile as Natsuki finally allowed her eyes to drift closed.

Shizuru's hand gently traced the contour of Natsuki's cheek. The electrocardiograph's beeping gradually slowed back into a steady pace.

"You know," Shizuru whispered – her lips brushing against the back of Natsuki's hand, "I really do think I would stay with you forever."

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks so much for reading! :D Hope you liked it!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ****Hey guys. :D Here's a longer chapter for you. Hopefully it makes up for the shortness of the last one.**

**I actually had a lot of fun writing this one. :D Lots of angst, but also * gasps * some actual progress? I am surprised as you are, lol. Anyway, I don't want to give anything away, so I'll keep this short. Oh, and once again: this is unedited (by anyone but me), so please try not to be too horrified by any abuse of the english language, lol.**

**Thanks once again for all of your awesome reviews and I hope that you're all having a great summer so far!**

**Thanks so much for reading, and I hope that you guys like it! Reviews/favourites/slices of cake are very appreciated! :D**

* * *

**Chapter #8: Proximity**

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes as the sound of movement pulled her out of her half-asleep state. Gradually, she became aware of her surroundings. The infirmary lights temporarily blinded her as her eyes struggled to adjust.

"Good-morning Kruger-san." Yohko smiled at the navy-haired agent as she walked over to examine the equipment that Natsuki was hooked up to.

"Morning," Natsuki replied – the word coming out more like a groan than a greeting. She lifted a hand up to rub her eyes sleepily. When her vision cleared, Natsuki slowly forced herself up into a half-seated position. A small grimace formed on her face when the pain in her side temporarily returned.

"Easy," Yohko called out warningly. The brown-haired woman quickly walked over and helped Natsuki readjust her position. "You know, if you let it, the bed will do that for you," she commented with a slight smile. Natsuki followed her gaze to the tilt controls on the side of her bed.

"Where's the fun in that?" Natsuki muttered – unwilling to admit that it was the first time that she had noticed them.

"Is there anything that I can get for you?" the doctor asked kindly. "Agent Zhang is grabbing something for you to eat, but if there's anything else..."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," Yohko laughed, "I'll personally make sure that it's something edible."

"That would definitely be..." Natsuki began, then trailed off slowly as her gaze fell on the chair beside her bed. Finding her voice suddenly hoarse, Natsuki quickly cleared her throat and looked back up at Yohko. "...appreciated," she finished. Almost against her control, her gaze immediately fell back down to the padded chair.

Hearing the change in Natsuki's voice, Yohko followed the younger agent's gaze to the chair beside her bed. "Oh, did someone else come in to visit you last night?" she asked curiously.

"Hmm?" Natsuki asked. Her gaze remained fixed on the chair for just a second too long before shifting to the doctor. "...Oh," Natsuki spoke – her mind processing what had been said, "I um..." She lifted her left hand to absentmindedly rub the back of her right. The instant that she felt the sensation of fingers on her skin, she found herself staring down at her hands. "...I'm not sure," she finally replied. She continued to trace the skin on her hand in an effort to repeat the elusive pattern of sensation haunting the back of her mind. "I was probably just dreaming."

"Well, it was pretty late when I sent Viola-san home," Yohko offered. "I doubt anyone else would have made it in after that."

Natsuki's eyes snapped up the instant that Shizuru's name was mentioned. "V...Viola-san was here?" she asked – her voice suddenly shaky.

"Oh, you didn't get a chance to talk with her?" Yohko replied. "I'm sorry. You must have been pretty out of it." A small smile crossed the brown-haired woman's face. "I finally had to kick her out at around nine. The poor woman was exhausted."

Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She glanced over at the chair once again, still just as unsure of what had been real what had simply been imagined. "But..." Natsuki began, "...but why wouldn't she wake me up?"

"Well, I would presume she knew that you need your rest," Yohko offered. She walked over to the cupboard across the room and grabbed a couple of magazines off the counter.

"Yeah, but..." Natsuki began, then trailed off when Yohko glanced back over her shoulder. "Y...yeah," Natsuki forced herself to say, "you're probably right." The doctor didn't need to know how cheated she felt.

"Anyway, these are to get you started," Yohko spoke as she walked back over to the bed. She handed the magazines over to Natsuki. Natsuki glanced down at the home decorating magazine in her hand and forcefully stopped herself from groaning.

"Arigato," Natsuki spoke reflexively. She flipped through a few pages before setting it down beside her on the bed. The restless feeling in her stomach grew.

"Alright then," Yohko glanced at her watch as she spoke, "let's get you rolled onto your side."

The brown-haired woman stepped closer and slowly helped tilt Natsuki's shoulders to the side. Using the little momentum that she had, Natsuki rolled onto her right side – careful not to rest her upper arm on the entry wound.

"Room service." A voice accompanied sudden footsteps at the door.

Natsuki didn't even have to glance over her shoulder to identify the speaker. "Don't you have a job, Agent Zhang?" Natsuki asked with just a hint of sarcasm.

"I'm sorry," Nao smirked, "did you think I came to visit you for fun?"

"There you go," Yohko laughed. "She should keep you entertained for a little while. I've got some things to take care of, but I'll check in on you later on." When the doctor had left the room, Nao placed the paper bag she had brought with her on the counter across the room. Still holding a small purse in her hand, Nao walked over and sat down beside the bed

"I guess I'll just eat later then," Natsuki sighed as she glanced over her shoulder at the bag of food on the counter.

"I was kinda hoping we'd get a couple things taken care of first," Nao replied as she adjusted her position in the chair.

"Starvation, huh?" Natsuki replied in an unimpressed tone. "That's supposed to get me to open up to you?"

Nao gave Natsuki an amused smile as she reached into the bag she had brought with her. Natsuki almost groaned when Nao pulled out a pen and a small notebook. As if sensing Natsuki's reaction, Nao glanced up and smirked as she flipped open the cover.

"Couldn't afford a clipboard?" Natsuki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not really my style," Nao replied as she handed the small book to Natsuki. The navy-haired woman hesitated before taking it from her.

"Isn't writing things down your job?" Natsuki asked. She took the pen that Nao offered her suspiciously. "You _are_ here to give me a psychological screening, right?"

"I have a better idea," Nao spoke with a small smirk. Stretching her arms out above her head, she leaned back lazily in her chair. "As you know, I want to walk through what happened in as much detail as you can give me. And I really can't stress enough how important it is that you are completely honest with me."

"...Okay," Natsuki replied hesitantly.

"That includes revealing very personal thoughts and feelings," Nao added.

Natsuki swallowed hard as she considered Nao's statement. There were some things she did _not_ want anyone but herself to know about; what if Nao asked her a question about Shizuru? "_I'll guess I can just edit some things as I go along," _Natsuki decided.

"Now, we both know that much of what goes through your mind is probably too fragmented, inappropriate, or just plain bizarre to be verbally announced," Nao continued as if she had read Natsuki's thoughts. "And to be honest with you, I really don't want to know. So, I don't want you to actually answer me out-loud."

Natsuki chose to let confusion win out over the offence she knew she should probably be feeling, as she glanced down at the notebook in her hands. Did Nao seriously think it would be any easier to have someone else _read_ her innermost thoughts?

"I want you to answer in there," Nao spoke with a small gesture to the book in Natsuki's hands, "with the knowledge that I will not be reading anything that you write." Natsuki's eyes snapped up to look at the other agent. "Does that sound easier for you?" Nao asked.

"Well... yeah," Natsuki admitted. "But how will you know that I've even answered your questions?" she asked skeptically. She briefly considered the red-haired woman going back on her word and ripping the book from her hands to read it, before dismissing the idea that Nao would outright lie to her.

"I won't," Nao replied with a shrug. "But I'm going to trust you. I know you're not stupid, and that _you _know you'll get out exactly as much as you put into this." She locked eyes with Natsuki as she spoke – the seriousness behind her statement showing on her face. After a few moments had passed, Natsuki nodded her head. "Good," Nao replied as she jumped up from her chair. "We're going to get started tomorrow then. I want you to talk to Viola-san before we begin."

"What...why?" Natsuki replied with a scowl.

"Here's your food," Nao called out from across the room – ignoring the younger agent's question entirely. "I've got to go profile a serial killer. Later, Kruger." She tossed the paper bag to Natsuki and walked out of the room before anything more could be said.

* * *

As the day had drifted by, Natsuki's restlessness seemed to grow exponentially. It felt like every hour another group of agents came in to commend Natsuki on her actions and give her their best wishes. Even the director had tried to stop by before being called away moments after entering the room. By the time dinner had rolled around, the navy-haired agent had completely exhausted her tolerance for introductions and forced flattery.

She wasn't sure what annoyed her more – the white walls that seemed to crawl if you stared at them for long enough or the ever-growing boredom. The laptop that Nao had lent her seemed to grow old in record time and Natsuki had finally resorted to opening one of the magazines that Yohko had given her earlier.

_"I had no idea that you could do that with curtains," _Natsuki caught herself thinking as she flipped through the pages. Her eyes scanned the room in the photograph with new-found respect.

"Interesting read?" The softly spoken words made Natsuki's heart skip a beat, before overcompensating with frantic, almost painful contractions. _Shizuru._

"V...Viola-san," Natsuki stuttered. The magazine almost slid out of her hands before she caught herself. Her eyes snapped up to meet those of the brown-haired woman standing in the entrance. Shizuru quickly looked away – shifting her attention to the medical equipment beside the bed, as she took a few steps into the room.

"Agent Kruger," Shizuru replied in greeting as she kept her voice as steady as possible. Natsuki studied the way that Shizuru's gaze shifted around the room; the other woman's attention seemed to be focused on almost everything but her.

"I didn't hear you walk up," Natsuki quietly admitted. That seemed to recapture Shizuru's interest.

Red eyes regarded Natsuki silently. Shizuru wasn't about about to admit that she had been standing outside of the room for almost ten minutes as she tried to come up with something to say. Something... adequate for everything that had happened. But there were no words to describe her feelings or what had transpired. No greeting card expression could eloquently relay everything that needed to be said.

"Well, I..." Shizuru began reflexively. It wasn't until she had already started the sentence that she realized she had no way to complete it.

Natsuki studied the look of hesitation that crossed the other woman's face – just for a second – before it was hidden behind her usual confident smile. _"She's nervous," _Natsuki decided. The realization made her own heart beat faster.

"Do you want to sit down?" Natsuki quickly blurted out. She gestured to the chair beside her bed.

Shizuru's gaze flickered from the chair to Natsuki. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins as her heart frantically pumped. Sitting down seemed much more intimate. By standing a few feet away from the bed, it was far easier to fake composure. _Not that I'm doing a particularly good job of it._ She could turn and walk out the door with a simple excuse any time that she wished.

It would be so **easy** to thank the younger woman for saving her and leave before anything more could be said.

Her mind had already starting turning out excuses, and Shizuru opened her mouth to speak. She forced herself to meet Natsuki's questioning gaze, but the moment that she did the realization hit her.

_"No," _she corrected, "_it would be so __**cowardly.**__"_

Shizuru had never enjoyed keeping everyone at a distance. But she had become almost desensitized to the queasy feeling that came over her every time that she pushed someone away with a distant smile; the alternative was somehow too terrifying to consider. Over time, it had become so reflexive that she could almost pretend that - as most people accepted and even admired – personal detachment was really just a part of who she was.

And yet Shizuru had never been so truly disgusted with herself.

She forced herself to meet Natsuki's gaze – to **really** meet her gaze – and refused to allow herself the comfort of looking away. For the first time since she could remember, she ignored the way that the ever-present voice in the back of her mind screamed, _"you're forgetting_ _to_ _smile."_

Shizuru could see the look of concern cross Natsuki's face, as the younger agent detected the sudden change in atmosphere. "I..." Shizuru began – her voice uncharacteristically hoarse, "...I don't..." she trailed off as frustration slammed into her like a brick wall.

"Y...you don't have to or anything," Natsuki quickly filled the awkward silence. "I'm sure you probably wanted to go home and get some rest," she offered. "The past few days have been pretty brutal."

With those words, Natsuki had essentially given Shizuru permission to leave. She'd even readily supplied an excuse. All that Shizuru would have to do was agree.

"Please," Shizuru softly spoke, "don't try to make this easy for me. I don't think I could bear it." Her gaze softened as she regarded the stunned look on Natsuki's face. "You deserve to know that I have no idea what to say to you," Shizuru admitted with courage she had believed she didn't have. As soon as the words left her mouth, she was hit with an exhilarating rush. "It's pitiful, don't you think?" she whispered bitterly. "You almost died saving my life and I can't even work up the courage to thank you because I know._... _I _know_ how painfully... _inadequate_ I am at expressing myself. And then for you to just lie there and let me..." Shizuru trailed off and inhaled a long, shaky breath.

"Viola-san," Natsuki began – her mouth suddenly dry. Her mind work desperately to memorize everything about the moment - the sharp inhale of Shizuru's breathing, the way that the light glistened off of the older woman's hair, even the frantic beeps coming from the machine beside her.

"There are no words to describe what you did for me," Shizuru continued – pausing for a second as her gaze shifted down to Natsuki's side. "...What you almost lost for me," she added quietly. "I have _never _been so grateful," she whispered as unrestrained tears started to form in her eyes. "Or so terrified," she continued - her face hardening as soon as the words left her mouth. "Or so completely _furious," _she finished with a defiant glare that softened as a tear rolled slowly down her cheek. "Kanin na," she whispered, "but I just don't know how anything I could possibly say could ever make... _this,"_ she gestured to the medical equipment hooked up to Natsuki in a frustrated movement, "okay."

"Shizuru." Natsuki seemed to almost exhale the word. Her expression slowly changed from shock to hold more softness than Shizuru had known could be relayed with one glance.

"Kanin na," Shizuru repeated – her voice quivering uncontrollably.

"You know what makes all of this alright?" Natsuki asked quietly. Shizuru wordlessly shook her head in response. "What could have happened if I hadn't done what I did," Natsuki finished. She left the words '_I could have lost you' _unspoken. "Okay?" she asked quietly – her eyes searching Shizuru's.

Shizuru shook her head more emphatically. "If I had just been faster..." she began shakily.

"Okay?" Natsuki cut Shizuru off by repeating the word louder. There was a sudden ferocity in her gaze that hadn't been there before.

Shizuru inhaled a long, deep breath. She held Natsuki's gaze for what seemed like an eternity. There was something about the way that the younger agent looked at her – the way her gaze manged to be equally pleading and demanding - that told Shizuru this was one argument she was not going to win. "Okay," Shizuru whispered with a nod.

Natsuki cleared her throat suddenly, and her gaze dropped down to the DVD case in Shizuru's hand. "What's that?" she asked curiously.

Shizuru's eyes widened slightly, as she suddenly remembered what she had brought with her. "Oh," she stated simply - glancing down at her hands. "Agent Zhang suggested that I pick up a movie for you to watch. A small smile crossed her face as she held up the DVD case for Natsuki to see. "As she so eloquently put it 'Agent Kruger looks so bored I think she's going to try to flatten her skull with the automated bed'. "

Natsuki couldn't help but laugh. She was relieved to notice the mischievous sparkle return to Shizuru's eyes when she did. "She certainly does have a way with words," Natsuki commented with a grin. "So, what movie did you get me?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what genre you usually watch," Shizuru began. "I really just walked down the new release aisle until I found something that appeared suitable." She handed over the DVD without any further explanation.

Natsuki flipped the case around so that she could look at the front. She raised her eyebrows a little as she examined the cover, then slowly lowered the DVD to look at Shizuru. "Do I _really_ strike you as a romantic comedy type of woman?" The look on her face suggested that Natsuki was very unimpressed, but Shizuru could tell from the sparkle in her eyes that she was mostly just amused.

"Kanin na, Kruger-san," Shizuru replied as her lips turned up into the smallest of smiles, "but all of the _adult_ movies were out."

"Baka!" Natsuki laughed – her cheeks flushing a little. "You know what? That's it," she declared without saying anything else. Shizuru raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond. When the younger agent looked up at her expectantly after a few seconds, the older woman finally caved.

"Yes, Kruger-san?" Shizuru asked with a small smile.

"If you expect me to sit through this, you're going to have to watch it with me," Natsuki stated as if what she was saying was both obvious and inevitable.

The smile on Shizuru's face widened _almost_ imperceptibly as she slowly shook her head. "I really would love to," she quickly replied, "but unfortunately, I wanted to go home and get some rest. You see Kruger-san, the past few days have been pretty brutal," she added playfully – quoting Natsuki's previous comment almost word for word.

"Nice," Natsuki replied sarcastically, though the grin on her face didn't match the tone at all.

"I thought so as well," Shizuru agreed.

"Sit down," Natsuki ordered the other woman in a voice that tried – and failed in what Shizuru could only determine to be the most adorable way possible – to be intimidating. The younger woman patted the bed beside her for emphasis. Shizuru's gaze followed Natsuki's hand, than shifted to meet the younger woman's eyes questioningly. "There's plenty of room," Natsuki stated. She inched over as best as she could without putting any strain on her side and looked at Shizuru expectantly.

Shizuru hesitated for only a moment, before giving in and walking around to the other side of the bed. Carefully, she sat down on the edge and leaned her back against the vacant half of Natsuki's pillow. "Alright," Natsuki spoke as she reached for the laptop on the dresser beside her. She was unable to suppress a grimace as the motion caused pain to flare up in her side.

Shizuru caught the look on the younger agent's face immediately. "Here," Shizuru tried to reach across Natsuki to get the laptop for her, "allow me." Natsuki swallowed hard and decided to lie back down when Shizuru's arm grazed across her chest by accident. When Shizuru realized that she couldn't quite reach it from the position she was in, she carefully swung her right leg over the younger agent – placing her left arm beside Natsuki's head for balance as she reached out for the laptop again.

Natsuki inhaled sharply as the older agent leaned forward slightly so her arm could reach further. Natsuki studied the way the Shizuru's knees lined either side of her and felt her face start to heat up. "_Calm down," _Natsuki mentally ordered herself. Her left hand curled around the side of the bed as her right clamped down on the sheets she was lying on.

Suddenly, a buzzing noise cut through the silence as the bed seemed to almost give out from under them. The sudden downward motion made Shizuru's elbow buckle. The awkward angle at which she was positioned made it impossible for her to catch herself in time. Shizuru collapsed on top of Natsuki; the younger agent let out a soft 'oof' as she did so.

Shizuru's heart pounded, as she slowly turned her head to face Natsuki. Her cheek brushed smoothly against the other agent's as she did so. Suddenly finding it very hard to breathe, Shizuru tipped her head back a little so that she could look down at Natsuki; she was afraid if she made a sudden movement to get off it would put even more pressure on her wound. The heat emanating from the woman beneath her made her tremble – the motion causing her nose to graze Natsuki's gently before Shizuru sharply pulled her head back.

"Am I hurting you?" Shizuru seemed to almost exhale the words. Natsuki shook her head; she didn't trust herself to speak. She tried desperately to ignore the way the she could feel Shizuru's chest rise and fall against her - gently pushing her down against the bed.

Shizuru mentally screamed at herself to get up, but for a long moment her body seemed unresponsive. When her limbs finally remembered how to move, Shizuru shifted her hands so that they were equally positioned on either side of Natsuki and slowly pushed herself upwards – careful to equally distribute her weight as she did so.

Soft brown hair grazed Natsuki's cheek as Shizuru got up. Natsuki tilted her head away; she was trying desperately to ignore the intoxicating scent surrounding her. Shizuru quickly reached out, picked up the laptop and placed it down beside them. She returned to a lying position beside Natsuki.

Both women stared at the ceiling for a moment as they got their breathing back under control - each one equally unaware that the other was doing the same. "Well, that was..." Natsuki began, then trailed off.

Shizuru gestured to the far railing of the bed with a forced laugh. "At least you've figured out how to work the controls."

A confused look crossed Natsuki's face before she followed Shizuru's gaze to the railing beside her. Her fist was curled around the bed's positioning controls so tightly that her knuckles were white. "O..Oh," Natsuki stuttered as she quickly released the railing. The colour immediately returned to her hand. "S...Sorry! I didn't mean..." She hadn't even had time to wonder what had happened.

"Please Agent Kruger," Shizuru grinned, "I think we both know that was no accident."

"Wh..what?" Natsuki quickly replied. Her eyes involuntarily widened at the accusation.

"Though I would prefer you experiment with head-compression sometime when I am not around to witness it," Shizuru finished - keeping her tone completely serious.

"B...Baka!" Natsuki laughed. She was more than a little relieved Shizuru hadn't been trying to imply anything else.

"That really does seem to be your favourite thing to call me," Shizuru commented. "And with such conviction in your voice too. I should probably be offended, Kruger-san," she added with a small smile. "There are also, of course, many synonyms that you could..."

"...Natsuki," the younger woman cut her off hesitantly. Shizuru turned her head a little to look at the agent beside her with a slightly confused expression on her face. "You can call me Natsuki," Natsuki clarified for her quietly.

Shizuru couldn't stop a smile from forming on her face as soon as the words left the younger agent's mouth. "Ara," she mused. "I refer to you as 'Natsuki', and you refer to me as 'baka'?" Shizuru replied – imitating the defensive tone the younger agent always spoke the word in with surprising accuracy. "That hardly seems fair." Natsuki raised an eyebrow as she tried to look as unimpressed as possible. It was only a short moment before both women caved into a fit of laughter.

"No," the navy-haired agent replied softly as her laughter faded to a small smile. "You call me 'Natsuki' and I'll call you 'Shizuru'."

Shizuru savoured the distinct way that her name rolled off the younger woman's tongue. Natsuki always sounded so breathless when she spoke it. "That does seem more reasonable," Shizuru agreed with a nod. She leaned her head back onto the pillow, before turning to face the woman beside her. "Well then Natsuki," she spoke with a smile that fully reached her eyes, "we have a DVD to watch."

Natsuki's eyes widened a little, as she suddenly remembered why she had asked Shizuru to lie down beside her. "Right," she stated while grabbing the laptop at her side. She flipped open the computer and slid the disc into the DVD drive on the side.

* * *

"Ugh," Natsuki exclaimed in what Shizuru could only describe as utter frustration. "What an imbecile!" She gestured to the screen emphatically as the words left her mouth. "Now you're going to miss the train, you moron," she spoke angrily – her eyes never leaving the screen.

There was a small beep as the entire screen suddenly went black. Both women gaped at the screen for a few moments, before a small smile crept onto Shizuru's face. Natsuki blinked a couple of times before speaking. "Are you kidding me?" she demanded – pushing the laptop's power button a couple of times in the attempt to revive it.

"Ara," Shizuru spoke with a small laugh. "I think the battery may have died."

"Agent Zhang didn't give me the adaptor," Natsuki exclaimed. She tried the power button once more before leaning her head back with a small groan.

Shizuru was unable to suppress a laugh from escaping her lips. Natsuki pried her eyes away from the screen to look at her. "What?" Natsuki asked – Shizuru's smile seeming to contagiously spread onto her own face as she did so.

"I just never expected to see you so... _invested_ in a movie," Shizuru replied. "And in a romantic comedy no less," she couldn't help but add teasingly.

"...What?" Natsuki demanded – her face going a little red when she realized that she had literally been screaming at a fictional character to get his act together. "I'm not _invested,_" she added defensively. Shizuru raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond. Natsuki studied the faint smirk on the older woman's face before adding for good measure, "I couldn't care less if he gets to her time. In fact, I would much rather have him get physically _hit_ by the train. At least then the movie might actually end sometime soon. "

"Natsuki!" Shizuru scolded the younger woman with a laugh.

"I'm just saying," Natsuki shrugged. "He doesn't deserve her anyway."

"No?" Shizuru asked with genuine interest. "What makes you say that?"

"She was obviously trying to tell him that she's in love with him. And he's stupid enough to believe that she talking about her boyfriend? Really? Can he read body language?" Natsuki asked rhetorically.

"He did seem to particularly bad at that," Shizuru agreed with a nod. "Especially when she gave him that flower for his mother's garden," she added.

"I know!" Natsuki exclaimed with widening eyes. "And that thing with the baby? What the hell was that about?" She was about to continue when she noticed that Shizuru was about to burst into a fit laughter. "Oh, nice," Natsuki sarcastically commented when she realized that Shizuru was just egging her on for her own amusement.

"Kanin na," Shizuru laughed. "I couldn't help myself." Natsuki gave her a disapproving scowl before turning back to stare at the dead laptop. Shizuru nestled down into the pillow behind her a little more with a content smile on her face. "I like seeing you like this," she commented quietly.

Natsuki turned to face the woman beside her once more. "Like what?" she asked with a small laugh. "Drugged up on painkillers?"

"No," Shizuru smiled softly. "...Without the pressure of a major case weighing you down," she explained – choosing her words carefully. "I've just never seen you laugh this freely before," she added thoughtfully. She could feel her cheeks heat up a little when she realized how honest she had just been with Natsuki. She forcefully stopped herself from continuing.

"So basically you like seeing me drugged up on painkillers," Natsuki replied with a grin.

Shizuru couldn't help but laugh. "Perhaps," she admitted. "You just seem more ... like yourself," she spoke softly.

Natsuki turned her head on the pillow so that she could meet the other woman's gaze. She studied the hesitant, calculating look in Shizuru's eyes. "You don't even know me," Natsuki whispered as her smile faded. The hurt look that formed on Shizuru's face made her instantly regret speaking.

"Kanin na," Shizuru quickly spoke. "I didn't mean to assume..." Her stomach clenched painfully, as she spoke.

"I mean," Natsuki quickly cut in as she tried to take back what she had said, "there's just..." she trailed off a little - turning to stare up at the ceiling so that Shizuru couldn't see her face. She hesitated for a long moment. "...there's a lot that I haven't told you... about me," she finished finally. Her mouth suddenly felt more dry than it had when she had first woken up in the infirmary.

Shizuru opened her mouth to reply, but found herself unsure of what to say. She hesitated for a moment; what was Natsuki talking about?"You can tell me what ever you want to, Natsuki," she replied softly.

Just for a moment, Natsuki let herself believe the other woman wholeheartedly. She pictured herself telling Shizuru that she was so attracted to the older woman it caught her off-guard.

For one dangerous instant, she allowed herself to pretend that Shizuru would understand.

But reality set in a few seconds later. Natsuki forced herself to replay what Shizuru had said to Tomoe in the washroom – effectively snapping herself out of it. "It's nothing in particular," she lied. "I just feel like we've never really talked before now." She turned her head back to face the other agent with false sincerity.

Shizuru studied Natsuki's face for a moment – undecided as to whether she believed her or not - before an idea hit her. She allowed a small smile to creep onto her face. "Alright then, Natsuki," she replied. "Tell me about yourself."

Natsuki couldn't help but grin at the mischievous look on the other woman's face. "What is this, a job interview?" she asked skeptically.

"Was that a not-so-subtle refusal?" Shizuru countered questioningly.

"N...no," Natsuki replied quickly. "I just... What do you want to know?" she asked curiously.

"Hmmm," Shizuru hummed to herself thoughtfully. She tilted her head a little as she thought about the question.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow as she waited for a response. "Why do I suddenly feel uneasy?" she muttered to herself.

"Alright," Shizuru spoke decisively after a moment. "Tell me about..." she trailed off once more before her lips turned up into a small smile. "Your first kiss," she finished finally.

"What?" Natsuki demanded.

Shizuru couldn't help but laugh at the sudden outrage in the other woman's voice. "Tell me about your first kiss," she repeated.

"I'm _not_ telling you about that," Natsuki spoke with a blush forming on her face. "That's so embarrassing."

"Oh, so it was embarrassing?" Shizuru replied innocently.

"No!" Natsuki replied defensively. Shizuru raised an eyebrow at the younger woman. Natsuki mimicked the look and held Shizuru's gaze defiantly.

"Alright," Shizuru finally gave in, "tell me in a word."

"In a word?" Natsuki repeated slowly – as if processing what the other woman had said.

"Just one," Shizuru agreed with a nod. "Does that not make it easier for you?"

Natsuki scowled at the other woman for a moment. She studied the way that Shizuru's eyes sparkled eagerly. After a few moments, she caved. "Fine," she huffed. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "...Wet."

Shizuru blinked for a moment – her gaze locked with Natsuki's – before the corner's of her mouth started to twitch uncontrollably. Natsuki felt her face heat up as Shizuru's melodic laughter filled the infirmary.

"Wet," Shizuru repeated with a muted grin. She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she considered it for a moment.

"Stop it," Natsuki laughed as she nudged Shizuru's side with her arm. "Look, it wasn't _my_ fault, okay? I wasn't even expecting it. The guy just went for it and I didn't know know what was happening until it was over."

Shizuru studied the adorable blush on Natsuki's face and nodded in understanding. She turned her head to stare up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Wet," she repeated again – this time as if she was testing the word out for the first time.

"Really wet," Natsuki agreed as she burst into laughter. "Seriously, if anything's going to turn you off of gu..." She almost choked when she realized what she had been about to say. "K...kissing," she quickly corrected herself. "It'll be having the kid who you hit on the head with a hockey stick for staring at you in gym class shove his tongue down your throat when you least expect it."

"I see," Shizuru replied – too lost in her own imagination to notice the slip up. The image of a younger Natsuki scowling at every guy who looked at her filled her mind, and she couldn't help but smile. "Alright then," she added after a moment, "what do you consider to be your greatest fear?" She chose one of the standard questions people seemed to ask in games like this one.

"Woah," Natsuki turned to face Shizuru directly. She raised an eyebrow at the older woman. "Did you really think that was how this was going to work?" she asked – disbelief evident in her voice.

A confused look crossed Shizuru's face. "...I afraid I don't understand," she spoke after a moment.

"First kiss," Natsuki replied simply. The look on Shizuru's face slowly turned to one of startled realization. The other woman opened her mouth to object, but Natsuki cut her off with a wave of her hand. "First kiss," Natsuki repeated expectantly.

Shizuru sighed. "...Tentative," she spoke finally.

Natsuki nodded, then waited for the other woman to continue. When Shizuru said nothing, Natsuki shot an unamused look in her direction. "That's it?" she asked. When Shizuru gave her an innocently confused look, Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Come on," she urged the other woman. "Who was it? Who started it? Who..." she was just about to continue when Shizuru cut her off.

"That was one word, Natsuki," she replied simply - her eyes glistening mischievously.

The corners of Natsuki's mouth turned up into a small smile before she could stop them. "Fine," she spoke – the word coming out as more of a sigh. It took her a moment to recall Shizuru's second question. "My greatest fear is..."

Natsuki paused to think about it for a moment. Her eyes scanned the room as if the answer was written on one of the walls. "Don't you think it's strange that whenever you ask someone that, they usually don't really have an answer for you?" she asked after a moment. "They'll say that they have arachnophobia, or they have a fear of heights, or they're terrified of clowns. It's kind of like... the moment that you realize you're not invincible." Natsuki's eyes sparkled as she struggled to find the words she was looking for. She glanced down at her side before she could stop herself and swallowed hard. "It just... it just doesn't really hit you until..." she trailed off once more – cursing the way that her voice cracked against her will. Her eyes scanned the white ceiling aimlessly; she didn't want Shizuru to see the way her eyes were watering against her will.

Shizuru studied the angry blush on the younger agent's face and felt her heart sink in her chest. She turned her head to face the ceiling as well, as if honouring the other agent's wish not to be seen.

"I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not really sure," Natsuki finally spoke with a forced laugh. The words were spoken so softly that Shizuru almost didn't hear them. "All I know is that..." Natsuki began, then paused to inhale shakily, "all I know is that there was this moment when... I looked down and the only thing I could see was blood." She swallowed hard as the scene played out in her mind. "And I knew, logically, that I had been shot. But... it just, it wasn't until you were bending over me that it really..." Natsuki's voice cracked as she struggled to get the words out. "You had this_... incredible_ look in your eyes, Shizuru," she whispered. "And then it was like everything just... disappeared. The only thing I could hear was your voice telling me I had to open my eyes," she continued as tears slowly trailed down her face. "And I tried... I tried to so _desperately,_ but I just... I..." Natsuki held back a sob as the overpowering feeling of helplessness resurfaced before she could suppress it.

Shizuru could feel the bed shake as the younger agent tried to regain her composure. It took Shizuru a moment to recover from the winded feeling that had suddenly come over her. Without any hesitation, she shifted her body to fully face Natsuki. The younger agent turned away in embarrassment. Gently, Shizuru used her hand to turn Natsuki's head back towards her.

"I...I'm sorry," Natsuki started – her embarrassment evident in her expression. She moved to wipe the tears from her face, but Shizuru caught her hand before she could.

"Natsuki." Shizuru breathed the word out. Her fingers intertwined with the navy-haired agent's as she gently forced Natsuki's hand back down. Shizuru's free hand smoothy curved around Natsuki's cheek as she carefully wiped the tears staining her skin away.

Intelligent green eyes searched Shizuru's as she did so. There was a pause as the two agents looked at each other – their faces no more than a few inches apart. "...I was so scared." Natsuki confessed.

Shizuru nodded in response - a small grimace on her face as she tried to stop her own eyes from watering. "Me too," she replied quietly. With a soft sigh, she leaned in to rest her head against the other woman's shoulder. Both women studied the ceiling as they lost themselves in thought.

Natsuki was the first to break the silence. "Can't we try to stay away from the really heavy questions?" she asked with a small grin.

Shizuru turned her head a little to laugh into Natsuki's shoulder. "Of course."

* * *

"Morning," Natsuki called out the moment that Yohko walked into the infirmary.

Yohko was a little startled to hear the other agent's voice; it was only around six so she figured that Natsuki would still be asleep. She looked up to see the other agent smiling at her from across the room. The doctor smiled back as she walked over to Natsuki's bed. "Someone seems to be in a good mood," she commented. A quick check of the medical equipment confirmed that everything was still running smoothly.

"I'm just glad that you lowered the painkiller dosage," Natsuki replied. "I have a new-found awareness of my surroundings."

Yohko grinned as she walked over to the counter to grab a new set of bandages. "Well, when we try to get you moving around a bit I need you to be able to tell me if I'm pushing you too hard," she replied. "That's not going to work too well if you can't feel anything below your neck."

"Got it," Natsuki nodded in understanding.

Yohko walked over and sat down in the chair beside the large bed. "As I'm sure you've noticed your main problem is going to be getting from a sitting position to a standing one. That's where my concern about needing someone to look after you for a while comes into play. But on that note, I have some good news for you. I found the toilet extender I mentioned to you earlier. It just has handles on the sides so that you'll be able to sit and stand up a bit easier by yourself. That way who ever takes you in won't have to install a bar like we have here."

"That's great news," Natsuki murmured – the sarcasm in her voice shining through just enough to make Yohko laugh. Natsukipursed her lips in though; she still needed to find someone who would agree to live with her for a few days. She watched silently as Yohko started to rip open the packaging on the bandage in her hands.

"Natsuki!" A loud voice and frantic footsteps broke the silence. All that Natsuki could make out was a flash of red hair before she was forced back against her bed in a careful embrace.

"Mai?" Natsuki stated in disbelief. She glanced over at the IV drip settings to make sure there was no way that she was hallucinating.

"You _baka_, Natsuki!" Mai replied angrily - the worry clearly etched on her face. "It took what... two weeks to get yourself almost killed? _Seriously_ Natsuki? Two weeks?"

Natsuki's reply was cut off by Yohko tactfully clearing her throat. "Oh," Natsuki blurted. "Sorry Mai, but she just has to change the..." She gestured at the way her shirt bulged from the bandages underneath.

"Oh, sorry," Mai began when she realized there was someone else in the room. She quickly took a step back and smiled at the doctor. "I'm Mai, Mai Tokiha. I'm a fourth-class agent at the Fuuka District, where Natsuki used to work. That's how I got the clearance," she added with a gesture to her visitor's pass.

"Yohko Helene, also fourth class," Yohko replied. She reached out to clasp the red-head's outstretched hand. " It's nice to meet you, Tokiha-san."

"Likewise," Mai replied with a pleasant smile. When she glanced down at Natsuki, the red-haired agent was met with an expectant look. "Oh, don't mind me," Mai spoke – taking a step back to make room for the doctor. "It's nothing I haven't seen before," she added with a shrug. Natsuki rolled her eyes at the red-head, then nodded for the doctor to continue.

Natsuki lifted up her shirt to reveal the large bandage on her side. With careful hands, Yohko peeled it back to have a look.

"Forty-five, huh?" Mai murmured as she examined the size of the bullet wound. "Wow," she commented, "that's an _ugly_ bruise."

"Mai!" Natsuki replied defensively.

* * *

"So how did you manage to get here this early?" Natsuki asked as Mai settled down into the chair beside her. "And on a weekday?" Her eyes widened a little then narrowed into a wince. "You didn't get fired, did you?" she asked cautiously.

"No," Mai laughed. "It was actually really weird. I mean, word gets around when someone goes into full-on hero mode while simultaneously solving a massively publicized case. So I first heard about your little adventure yesterday while I was at work. Which – by the way – getting shot is just one of those things you _do_ wake your friend up at four in the morning to tell them about. You know?" Mai demanded – anger suddenly surfacing. "Finding out in the break room and almost going into cardiac arrest was not exactly one of my finest moments."

Natsuki winced. "I didn't want you to freak," she admitted. "I didn't think that anyone outside of Garderrobe would even hear about it."

"Huh," Mai huffed with an unimpressed look on her face. She glared at Natsuki for a few moment's before her gaze finally softened. "Speaking of freaking out, did you tell your mother about this?"

"Woah," Natsuki raised her hands up emphatically. "She can not hear about this, Mai. _Ever._"

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Mai admitted. "Even though it's kinda horrible not to tell your mother that you almost died."

"Well, I'm fine now," Natsuki rationalized. Mai nodded, then sighed after a moment. Natsuki's mouth turned down into a small frown; she could see the exhaustion on her friend's face easily.

"Anyway, I went straight to Agent Toshio and asked him for some personal time so that I could visit you," Mai continued.

"Toshio let you visit me?" Natsuki replied – disbelief evident in her voice.

"No," Mai smirked. "That bastard. But just as I was in the process of devising a rather spectacular escape plan, I got given clearance."

"From who?" Natsuki frowned. Toshio was Mai's direct supervisor. No one below him would be authorized to give Mai time off.

"The director," Mai replied – her eyes sparkling as she spoke.

"Wh..what?" Natsuki replied. She was more shocked than she would have been if Toshio _had_ given Mai the day off. "First of all, he hates me," Natsuki began – recalling her conversation with him on her last day at Fuuka. "Secondly, he's a complete jerk. And I thought he didn't even know you existed," she commented. "No offence," she added as an afterthought.

"None taken," Mai shrugged. "And I would have agreed with all of those yesterday morning. But he actually seemed to be genuinely concerned about you. He gave me today off, so I spent half the night driving up. He even told me to give you this," Mai added. She reached into the black purse she had with her and pulled out a small, white envelope.

Cautiously, Natsuki took it from her. "Is it rigged to explode?" she asked skeptically.

"Nope," Mai laughed. "I ran it through the scanner just in case."

Natsuki's brow furrowed as she flipped open the top and pulled out a small card. "Get well soon," she read off of the front. Flipping it open, she read the generic hallmark message before her eyes scanned the hastily scribbled signature below. "Is this supposed to be a joke?" she asked Mai with raised eyebrows.

"I have no idea," Mai replied with a grin. "I found it just as disconcerting." With a quick movement, she grabbed the card from Natsuki's hand and read the inside for herself. "Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully. She flipped the card closed to scan the front once more. "It's kind of an unattractive card, huh?" she commented.

"It really is," Natsuki laughed.

With a grin, Mai carefully placed the card beside the others on the small table to her left. "You must be loved," she said with a gesture to the various assortments of flowers on the table. She picked up the cup of water that Natsuki had been using and took a small drink.

"Most of those were from people I had never met before," Natsuki replied. " I think they were more of a 'thank you for not letting Agent Viola get killed' gift. She's like a local celebrity or something."

Mai practically choked on the water she'd been swallowing. "Hold on," Mai ordered as she slammed the cup of water back on the table. The liquid inside came dangerously close to splashing over the edge. "That was who you saved? The hot one?" she demanded – a wild smile crossing her face.

Natsuki mentally kicked herself for mentioning Shizuru's name. "Don't objectify her," she scowled. Mai raised her eyebrows at the younger woman. After a few moments, Natsuki finally caved, "...Yes."

"This is so perfect!" Mai exclaimed. "Do you know what this means?" she demanded.

"That Viola-san is still breathing?" Natsuki offered – her voice very monotone. "And in exchange I have a hole in my side?"

Mai gave her a look before continuing. "You saved her _life_, Natsuki," she spoke emphatically. "That's like... instant access."

"Access to what?" Natsuki frowned.

"She's probably already madly in love with you," Mai explained as if it were obvious.

Natsuki blinked for a moment, before a large scowl crossed her face. "Oh, come on," she groaned. "That's not the way it works, Mai."

"Actually, it kind of is," Mai countered. "Do you not watch TV? And if a man who was as attractive for a man as you are for a woman saved my life and was as awesome as you are, I'd be all over him in a heart beat."

"I legitimately have no idea what you just said," Natsuki replied.

Mai let out a frustrated groan. "Fine," she spoke with a dramatic flare of her arms. "I'll be back in a moment." With that, she got up from her chair and started to head for the infirmary exit.

"What? Where are you going?" Natsuki called out after her – a little insulted that she would just walk away so soon after arriving.

"I broke into your hotel room and grabbed some of your stuff for you," Mai called out over her shoulder. "I'm just going to go grab the box from my car."

"Oh," Natsuki replied. Her eyes widened dramatically when she ran through what Mai had said a second time. "Mai?" she demanded – halting the redhead in her tracks. "You do know that I moved all of my stuff moved to an apartment... right?"

Mai slowly turned around with a slight wince on her face. "...That explains a lot," she replied.

"Mai!" Natsuki exclaimed.

It only took a few seconds for Mai to burst out into laughter. "Give me some credit, Kruger," she replied. "I am a fourth-class agent, you know."

Natsuki couldn't help but grin, as Mai left the infirmary.

* * *

Mai yawned as she leaned her head back against the pillow behind her. Natsuki's brow furrowed in concentration as she reached out to tap the small touch screen in her hand.

"No, it's not that one," Mai mumbled. Natsuki's hand stopped just short of touching the surface. "That one," she declared – pointing her hand toward the other side of the screen.

"This game sucks," Natsuki grumbled. "What else do you have on here?"

Mai smirked a little as she pried the tablet from her friend's hands. "You know, I didn't just come here to watch you play games," she spoke.

Natsuki turned to look at her. "I did actually know that," she replied. "I'm just trying to stave off the interrogation for as long as possible."

"Yeah, well, it's almost seven," Mai replied. "So it's now or never, Natsuki."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "Do I get to choose?" she asked hopefully.

"Nice try," Mai replied. The grin on her face faded to a sad smile as she glanced down at the IV sticking out of Natsuki's arm. "How did this happen to you?" she asked quietly. "I know that Garderrobe is probably quite different than Fuuka, and in our line of work things can get dangerous... but I just never thought that..." she trailed off quietly.

"Mai," Natsuki replied quietly. When she saw the look of concern on her friend's face, she briefly gave Mai's arm a reassuring squeeze. "I'm alright." The look on Mai's face turned into one of disbelief. "Seriously," Natsuki laughed.

"What was going through your head?" Mai asked. Her voice was laced with hints of anger. "Let's stand in front of the gun and see what happens?" Natsuki hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth to reply. "And I know..." Mai cut her off before she could speak, "I know that you were saving a woman's life. And I cannot _imagine_ the courage that must have taken. I know that that is something to be commended, and I want you to know that I'm so _proud_ of you, Natsuki," Mai continued – her voice cracking dangerously. "And I know that it probably makes me a selfish, petty person," she continued. Natsuki studied the way that Mai's eyes were starting to water, and felt her stomach tighten painfully. "But I don't even know the woman you almost died for, Natsuki," Mai exclaimed. "I just... if I had to choose between you or..."

"Mai," Natsuki cut her friend off softly. "I understand," she spoke with a small smile. "And I know if you were in my position, I would probably feel the same way," she admitted. She thought about it for a moment before continuing. "You should know that I had no idea I was actually going to get hit. I tried to knock Agent Viola out of the way, but I wasn't fast enough. Okay?" she asked with a reassuring smile. "It's not like it was a conscious choice between the two of us."

Mai shot Natsuki a discerning look before nodding slightly. "That does make me feel better," she admitted, then thought about it for a moment. "God, I'm a horrible person," she commented with a sigh.

Natsuki couldn't help but smile. "You're just honest," she replied.

Mai rested her head back down against Natsuki's pillow. Her hands payed with the bottom of her shirt, as she seemed to get almost lost in thought. "Who _would_ you have chosen?" she asked suddenly – before considering that she might not want to know.

Natsuki's gaze shot up from her bed to the wall across from her. "...What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly – refusing to meet Mai's eyes.

"You know what I mean." Mai replied softly. She turned to face the navy-haired agent beside her.

Natsuki swallowed hard as her mind attempted to process what Mai had asked her. "That's not a fair question," was her soft reply. Mai opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated for a moment.

"Agent Kruger," a call from the door startled both women. "Oh," Nao's came to a halt in the doorway when her gaze fell on Mai. "Sorry, I didn't realize you had... friends?" she added questioningly.

Natsuki rolled her eyes before waving Nao into the room lazily. "Agent Zhang, this is Mai Tokiha. Mai, this is Nao Zhang."

"Nice to meet you," Mai leaned over the bed to shake Nao's hand briefly.

Nao smiled at her before slowly turning to face Natsuki. "I just thought I'd give you the heads-up. Agent Viola's almost here." Nao's gaze fell on Mai just in time to see the other red-head's face light up in acknowledgement. "Oh, you've heard of her?" Nao asked Mai with a grin.

Natsuki barely had time to groan before Mai replied. "Yeah," Mai answered – a similar grin forming on her face. "Have _you_ heard of...? I mean... Has Natsuki..." she attempted to correct herself, then settled for turning to Natsuki with a hesitant expression on her face.

"Did you mean has Natsuki told me that she's a lesbian?" Nao offered. "Technically, no," she commented thoughtfully after the fact.

Mai turned to face Nao as soon as the words had left her mouth. Her expression quickly changed from mild shock to a mischievous grin. "See? I told you you'd make friends, Natsuki," Mai exclaimed happily.

"Thanks mom," Natsuki replied sarcastically. "And for the record, _we,_" she gestured between Nao and herself, "are _not_ friends."

Nao placed her hand on her chest in a wounded gesture. "Why do you refuse to let me get close to you?" she demanded with an exaggerated look of dismay.

"Cause you'd shove a knife between my ribs?" Natsuki offered with raised eyebrows.

Mai's gaze flipped between the two of them, as the corners of her mouth turned into a small smile. "So Viola-san's coming to visit her?" she asked Nao. Natsuki scowled at Mai for bringing Shizuru up once again.

"Yeah," Nao replied with a nod. "So... what exactly did Agent Kruger tell you about her?" she asked curiously.

"Nao," Natsuki spoke warningly. Nao turned to stare down Natsuki's glare with an amused expression on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, then suddenly stopped. She turned her head towards the imfirmary door as the faint clicking of high heels grew louder.

Natsuki's eyes widened dramatically. Nao took one look at the panic on the navy-haired woman's face and smirked. "You have to go," Natsuki whispered in a hushed voice to a very confused Mai.

"What?" Mai whispered back. "Why?" The redhead followed Natsuki's gaze to the infirmary door.

A few seconds later, the door opened. Mai could see Natsuki tense up in her peripheral vision. It was almost a little anticlimactic when a woman walked stepped through the entrance and closed the door quietly behind her.

When Shizuru turned around, all three agents were staring at her from across the room. _"That was certainly unexpected," _Shizuru couldn't help but think. Natsuki was the only one who noticed the flash of hesitation on the brown-haired woman's face before she calmly walked over to join them.

"Ara, I seem to have arrived during peak visiting hours," Shizuru commented with a calm smile. She consciously chose to ignore that smirk that Nao made no effort to hide and turned to face Mai directly. "I don't believe we've been introduced," she spoke.

"Oh...um..." Mai seemed to come up blank as she raised her hand up to shake Shizuru's.

"This is Mai Tokiha." Nao cut in helpfully. "She's heard absolutely nothing about you," she added with an emphatic shake of her head. When she turned to wink at Natsuki, the glare the navy-haired agent pulled off was nothing short of impressive.

"...I see," Shizuru replied with an amused smile. "_Did I interrupt something?_" she wondered to herself.

"P...Pleased to meet you," Mai stuttered as she shook Shizuru's hand. _She's __**gorgeous.**_

"Shizuru Viola," Shizuru replied smoothly, "and the pleasure is mine."

Natsuki watched Mai visibly swallow hard when she heard Shizuru's name. Natsuki winced when Mai turned to look directly in her direction with a small grin on her face. Shizuru tactfully ignored the exchange and turned to face Natsuki as well. Natsuki forced a small smile, which Shizuru returned with an almost questioning look in her eyes.

"Are you a friend of Kruger-san's?" Shizuru asked as she turned back to Mai.

"Yes," Mai replied – seeming to have recovered from the initial shock fairly well. "I'm an agent at Fuuka, Natsuki's old district."

Shizuru nodded in understanding. "Since you came all this way, perhaps Agent Zhang and I should return a bit later," she spoke with a smile. She turned to Nao for support.

"Actually," Mai cut in, "I was just leaving. I have to go into work early tomorrow," she explained. She walked around the side of the bed so that she could get close enough to embrace Natsuki in a half hug. As she wrapped her arms around the navy-haired woman's neck, she bent down so that Natsuki could hear her whisper. "Oh my God," she spoke in a voice that was too quiet for anyone but Natsuki to hear, "she is _hot. _Like, _I_ would go gay for her," she whispered excitedly.

Shizuru watched the red-haired agent embrace Natsuki tightly and felt – despite her best efforts and rationalizations – an increasingly familiar sting of jealousy.

"No you wouldn't," Natsuki scoffed a little too loudly. Shizuru was unable to stop herself from shooting Nao a questioning glance, which the other agent returned with a shrug.

"Probably not," Mai agreed with a laugh. "But it's a close call." She released Natsuki from the death grip she had her in and took a step back from the bed. "Take care of yourself, Natsuki," Mai added – her tone changing from playful to serious. "And remember, you need to talk to someone about living with you for a few days while you heal." A small smile crossed Mai's face when she saw Shizuru visibly react to the comment from the corner of her eye.

"Did Helene-san suggest that you needed someone to assist you?" Shizuru asked. "If you would allow me, I would be more than willing to help."

Natsuki's eyes widened, as the words left Shizuru's mouth. Her gaze shifted from the concerned look on Shizuru's face to the small smirk on Mai's lips. Natsuki shot the red-head a quick glare before turning back to Shizuru. Her heart pounded as she considered what it would be like to live with Shizuru, even if the arrangement would be temporary. She was so attracted to the other woman, it would be a miracle if Shizuru didn't pick up on it. That was - by far - the _last_ thing that she needed.

"A...actually," Natsuki stuttered, "I think Agent Zhang said that I could live with her for a couple days." She subtly gave Nao a pleading glance.

Nao grinned while she shook her head in response. "Sorry Kruger," she replied, "but I can't."

"What?" Natsuki demanded. "Why?" Her expression hardened into a threatening glare.

"What would my husband say?" Nao asked with a raised eyebrow. "He doesn't even know you. It would be more than a little weird for you both."

Natsuki gaped openly the instant the words left Nao's mouth. "H...husband?" she mouthed – too shocked to actually say the word out loud. She turned to look at Shizuru's reaction, but the brown-haired woman just gave her a small nod. Natsuki turned back to Nao with the same aghast expression.

"What?" Nao asked with a shrug. "I can't have layers?"

"That's perfectly understandable," Mai jumped in. "You can stay with Viola-san then, Natsuki." She countered the desperate look on Natsuki's face with a grin, and discreetly mouthed the words 'you're welcome'.

Shizuru studied the way that Natsuki hesitated and felt her heart sink. It was clear that the younger agent felt uncomfortable at the idea. "Unless of course, you had other plans," Shizuru spoke quietly. She studied the floor as she waited for Natsuki to voice her agreement. When no one spoke, Shizuru glanced up to see Natsuki staring at her silently.

Natsuki mentally kicked herself for being so insistent that Nao stay with her. Almost anyone could have picked up on her hesitation to live with Shizuru, much less a highly-trained agent. But anyone studying Shizuru's body language would have thought that the brown-haired agent was completely oblivious.

It was the hurt look in her eyes that told Natsuki otherwise.

"No," Natsuki spoke softly. "I would really like that." She was startled when she realized just how true her statement had been. Despite how terrified the thought of living with Shizuru made her, she couldn't deny that she wanted to desperately. Her days spent in the infirmary seemed to already be measured in the time between the older woman's visits. When Shizuru's features betrayed a hint of disbelief, Natsuki forced herself to let the desire briefly show on her face.

Shizuru's eyes searched Natsuki's from across the room. She looked desperately for any sign contradicting Natsuki's words – almost as if she didn't want to allow herself to believe that Natsuki was telling the truth. It was small, fleeting moments like this that made it impossibly hard not to construct elaborate fantasies - fantasies that shattered as painfully as they were precisely manufactured.

There was no telltale waver in Natsuki's smile to suggest dishonesty. "A...alright," Shizuru replied in an equally quiet voice.

"That's settled then," Mai declared with a satisfied look on her face. Placing her arm comfortably on Nao's shoulder, she took a few steps towards the infirmary door. "I'll call you tomorrow Natsuki," she called out over her shoulder.

"See you, Kruger," Nao added as she allowed herself to be led out of the room by Mai. Shizuru and Natsuki turned to face each other. Both women felt themselves relax a little when they realized that they were alone with each other.

Shizuru sat down comfortably in the chair beside Natsuki's bed - her gaze falling on the cardboard box that was on the ground beside it. "Did your friend bring this in?" she asked curiously. She gestured to the box when Natsuki gave her a questioning look.

"Oh," Natsuki replied, "yeah, she did. Apparently, that's some stuff from my apartment." She had completely forgotten about the box until Shizuru had pointed it out.

"That was kind of her," Shizuru replied. Carefully, she picked up the box and set it down on her lap. "May I?" she asked as she placed her hand on one of the folds.

"Yeah, sure," Natsuki replied with a shrug. She watched as the brown-haired woman peeled back the flaps and reached inside. "I still haven't opened it, so..." She trailed off as Shizuru slowly raised her hand back out of the box.

Dangled on the end of Shizuru's index finger was a pair of silky white underwear lined with black lace. "Ara," Shizuru commented with a raised eyebrow. She glanced up at Natsuki with a playfully questioning look.

"T...that's..." Natsuki stuttered as her face turned a bright shade of red. When no explanation came to her, she settled for an angry groan. "You know you're close when your friend breaks into your apartment and rifles through your underwear drawer," she muttered to herself sarcastically.

Shizuru's lips curled into a subtle smile as she placed the garment carefully back inside the box, before setting the whole thing back on the floor. It took considerable discipline to ignore the images of Natsuki that were currently running through her mind. Shizuru felt her cheeks start to burn before she could stop them. "Perhaps I should let you go through this," she commented playfully.

"I'm going to kill her," Natsuki spoke through gritted teeth.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," Shizuru replied playfully. "It's not as if you don't have impeccable taste. As I'm sure your boyfriend would agree," she added with a forced smile.

Natsuki's face flushed a bright red. "A...actually," she stuttered, "I um... don't have one." She swallowed as the brown-haired woman looked up at her.

"No?" Shizuru asked. She inwardly winced when she realized how much her own surprise - and even maybe a little bit of hope - had come through in her voice.

Natsuki shook her head silently. Her heart raced as her mind scrolled through various options. It almost seemed like the perfect time to casually work in her sexuality. If she was going to be living with Shizuru, the other woman deserved to know about it. Natsuki gulped when she once again replayed what she had overheard in the bathroom. "_I have to tell her," _Natsuki chanted to herself. "_Especially if the idea might make her so uncomfortable." _If she went ahead and stayed with Shizuru and then it came out that she was a lesbian, who knew how Shizuru would react.

Natsuki pictured the shocked look on Shizuru's face before she could stop herself. There was a sharp pain in her side, as her stomach clenched tightly. _"This is stupid," _Natsuki angrily thought to herself. _"It's not like I haven't had people react like that before." _Her left hand curled around her right as she rubbed her hands together with increasing force. Why was everything so different when Shizuru entered the equation?

"Natsuki?" Shizuru's soft voice broke through Natsuki's thoughts. Shizuru studied the way that Natsuki was clenching her hands together and regretted saying anything. "_She's probably been through a bad break-up recently," _Shizuru realized as her heart sank. "I...I'm sorry if I brought up something painful for you," she offered hesitantly.

"No, it's..." Natsuki took a deep breath before continuing, "It's not that."

Shizuru nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything more. She waited to see if Natsuki would continue – not wanting to push the younger woman into telling her anything that she didn't want to. A minute or so passed in silence. Each woman contemplated their next move as carefully as if they were living out a chess games.

"Would you like something to drink?" Shizuru offered suddenly. "I think I'll make a quick trip down to the break room."

"Sure," Natsuki nodded. "Some tea would be great."

"Perfect," Shizuru replied with a smile. Her heels clacked against the floor melodically as she walked out of the room.

The moment that she was gone, Natsuki let her head fall down against the pillow behind her. "Oh my God," she groaned quietly. "Why is this so damn difficult?" The heart rate monitor beeped noisily as she lost the careful focus she'd employed to maintain a relaxed appearance. "Oh, shut up," Natsuki hissed at the machine.

_"Shizuru, there's something I have to tell you," _Natsuki mentally rehearsed. _"And it's not a big deal or anything. Well, hopefully it won't be a big deal," _she added before hitting her head against her pillow in frustration. "That sounds so lame," she groaned. _And obviously it's going to be a big deal. I mean the last woman who told Shizuru she was gay, Shizuru had __**transferred. **_"Oh my God," Natsuki spoke softly in realization. "She had her _transferred._ Who... Who does that? That's just..." she fumed to herself. "I shouldn't even be talking to her much less..."

Natsuki's angry rant was cut off by the sound of the infirmary door opening once again. Natsuki made a small effort to conceal the anger she knew was displayed on her face, while Shizuru walked over.

"I hope this is prepared to your liking," Shizuru spoke as she passed Natsuki the mug in her right hand. As Shizuru reclaimed her seat, Natsuki set her tea down dismissively on the table beside her.

"I need to tell you something," Natsuki blurted out before she lost her courage.

Sensing the seriousness in Natsuki's voice, Shizuru slowly lowered the mug from her mouth. "Yes?" she replied softly.

"And I don't want you to get the wrong idea," Natsuki continued. "I know that a **lot** of people are uncomfortable with the idea of being around someone who's... you know," she blurted out. Natsuki hesitated a moment as she processed what she had just said. "_Why am I trying to excuse her homophobia?" _she asked herself – feeling more than a little conflicted. Natsuki herself had heard the conversation that Shizuru had had with Tomoe, but it was still so hard to imagine the brown-haired woman ever saying something hateful without reason.

Shizuru ran what Natsuki had said over a couple times before allowing a small frown to cross her face. "Kanin na, but I'm not sure what you..."

"Gay people," Natsuki blurted – anxiety and anger making the words sound more harsh than she had intended. "Okay? A lot of people are uncomfortable around gay people."

Shizuru slowly lowered her tea down to her lap. A slight tremble ran through her hands as she did so. Natsuki watched as all traces of emotion seemed to disappear from her face. "I see," Shizuru replied coolly. _"This is why she seemed so uncomfortable with the idea of living with me," _she realized bitterly. Natsuki must have sensed the intense attraction she felt to her.

"And I get it, okay?" Natsuki offered aggressively – the angry tone in her voice contradicting the statement. "It's... _different_, or whatever," she said with a roll of her eyes. "And people just don't understand different." Natsuki swallowed hard as she stared down at her hands.

"I..." Shizuru started, but found herself at a loss for words. "I appreciate your honesty," was the only thing she could come up with. The look of unrestrained anger on Natsuki's face made it feel as if all of the air had suddenly left the room; Shizuru could feel herself unravelling.

Natsuki nodded. "Yeah, I figured," she replied hoarsely. "So, let's just say I really don't think it would be a good idea for us to stay together."

Shizuru ignored the feeling that her lungs were caving in. "Alright," she stated simply. If Natsuki had gathered up the courage to look Shizuru in the eyes, she would have been startled by the ferocity they contained. "Perhaps I should leave now," Shizuru added – allowing just a little bitterness to seep into the words.

"I think that would be best," Natsuki angrily replied. She had imagined this very moment many times before. "_You knew this would happen," _her mind screamed loudly. But even the most intricate of manufactured scenarios had not prepared her for the overwhelming feeling of betrayal.

Wordlessly, Shizuru stood up and began to walk towards the exit. Her knees trembled uncharacteristically, as she tried to make the motion appear smooth. The sound of loud heartbeats filled her ears when she realized that Natsuki would never look at her the same way again. Closing her eyes as she inhaled a slow breath, Shizuru slowed her steps to a halt.

Natsuki glanced up to see the brown-haired woman turn around. There was a look of determination on her face that Natsuki had never seen before. "I am not ashamed of what I feel," Shizuru spoke fiercely. Fire burned in her gaze as she locked eyes with the younger agent.

Natsuki felt adrenalin rush through her veins as anger consumed her. "Really?" she demanded angrily. "Cause you know what? You _should_ be ashamed," she sneered. "I am sick of the _ignorance_ in this world. And the sad thing is that you would never guess, just talking to you," she continued, "you'd never guess what a homophobic _jerk_ you can be."

Shizuru's eyes widened as soon as she processed what Natsuki had said. _W...was that a mistake?_

"Yes, you may be an incredibly beautiful woman," Natsuki continued - letting her anger fuel her. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to like... stare at you whenever you get out of the shower or what ever. Seriously. Grow up," she snapped.

The adrenalin made it incredibly hard to concentrate; it took Shizuru twice as long as it should have to work through what Natsuki had said. She replayed the words Natsuki had used multiple times before the surprise fully took form on her features. "Natsuki, are you telling me that... you're gay?" Shizuru asked bluntly.

At first Natsuki thought that Shizuru was mocking her, but the shock on the other woman's face looked surprisingly genuine. "Wh...what did you think I was telling you?" Natsuki replied in a similarly confused tone.

Shizuru raised a hand to her temple as she replayed everything that had been said – at the same time paying close attention to what _hadn't_ actually been said. A confused smile crossed her lips.

Natsuki studied the way that Shizuru's eyes sparkled – almost as if she was playfully amused by something – and felt her anger instantly dissipate. "W...what?" Natsuki asked. She cursed the way she was unable to maintain the angry tone in her voice.

"For the purpose of clarification," Shizuru began as the concentration on her face relaxed a little, "are you or are you not aware that I'm a lesbian?"

Natsuki gaped as she stared at the other woman. "...What?" She managed to get out before her lungs seemed to stop working entirely. "No you're not," she stated in disbelief. The words almost sounded a little petty. Her face burned when Shizuru allowed a small smile to play across her lips.

"Natsuki," Shizuru shook her head a little as she walked back over to the bed. She hesitated only for a moment before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Why didn't you just tell me?" she asked – sounding more than a little bewildered.

"I...I did," Natsuki replied in a similar tone. "But why did you react so... weirdly then?"

"You looked so upset with me," Shizuru replied with a small laugh. "And then you used the fact that a significant percentage of the world's population is homophobic to rationalize that we shouldn't stay together. I must confess that I... misunderstood your main point." she added with a small smile.

"I..." Natsuki trailed off as she suddenly realized what Shizuru had thought she had been trying to say. "Wow," she stated simply after a moment. "I don't suppose we could just pretend that that never happened." The relief and embarrassment washing over her combined to give her voice a telltale quiver.

"Natsuki," Shizuru spoke with a sympathetic smile. Her gaze dropped down to Natsuki's arms. "You're shaking," she spoke soothingly. Concern crossed her face as she moved to lie down beside the younger woman. Gently, she pried Natsuki's hands free of each other and interlocked the fingers on Natsuki's right hand with her own. Natsuki's face seemed to flush a little in embarrassment as she curled her fingers around Shizuru's hand. "Was that...was that the first time you've told someone?" Shizuru asked quietly.

She was startled when Natsuki burst into a fit of laughter. A confused smile formed on her face as she waited for Natsuki to respond. "No," Natsuki replied as her laughter faded to a smile. The whole situation was almost a little too much for her. "I know you probably won't believe me after that little episode, but I normally have no problem telling people I like women if they ask."

Shizuru's smile widened a little when she saw how amused Natsuki was by the situation. But when she thought about it for a moment, her smile faded back to a serious frown. "Did you really think I wouldn't understand?"

"I overheard you getting into a fight with that teal-haired agent," Natsuki replied. A confused look formed on her face when she realized there was now no way to explain what she had heard. "You told her she had to switch districts because she was gay."

Shizuru's eyes widened a little. "Ara," she spoke after a minute of thought. "I can see how that may have mislead you."

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked.

"I asked Marguerite-san to have herself transferred because she was too... insistent for my liking."

Natsuki eyes widened as she mentally translated what Shizuru had said. "She stalked you?" she asked with sudden interest. "Seriously?"

"It was beginning to distract me from my work," Shizuru replied – choosing her words carefully. "I simply thought it would be better if she... removed herself from temptation."

Natsuki nodded quietly, before a slow wince crossed her face. "Look, I'm really sorry that I kind of...freaked out on you."

Shizuru smiled as she slowly shook her head. "Given the circumstances, I suppose I'll just have to forgive you." She hesitated as she studied Natsuki's face carefully. _Does my opinion really mean that much to her?_ "Does this mean you _will _agree to let me help you for a few days?" Shizuru asked curiously. "I would of course promise not to... what was it?" she asked as a grin formed on her face, "...Watch you as you got out of the shower?"

Natsuki groaned, though she couldn't help but laugh. "Can we _please_ just pretend that that conversation never happened?" she asked pleadingly. She placed a hand over her heart as she inhaled a slow breath. "I think that seriously almost sent me into cardiac arrest."

Shizuru smiled as she knocked Natsuki's hand away so that she could see for herself. She rolled onto her side as she gently placed her hand on the top portion of Natsuki's ribcage. Her face flushed a little when she realized how warm Natsuki's body felt to the touch. It was intoxicating. "I don't feel any palpitations," she commented with just a hint of playfulness in her voice.

Natsuki swallowed hard as she tried to focus solely on her heart rate. It wasn't an easy feat, considering Shizuru's hand was effectively on her chest. "Geez," Natsuki commented as she slowly exhaled. "I told you I was a lesbian two minutes ago and already you're trying to discreetly feel me up." She forced a laugh as Shizuru smiled mischievously.

Shizuru leaned towards Natsuki's ear in a motion that was so slow, Natsuki almost didn't sense it until she felt the other woman's hot breath on her ear. "Trust me, Kruger-san," Shizuru drawled slowly, "if I was making a move on you, you would be _very_ aware."

Natsuki inhaled so sharply it sounded dangerously like a gasp. Her face flushed an ever deeper shade of red when Shizuru made no effort to move back. "_She's going to know you're practically all over her," _Natsuki mentally screamed to herself. "_Just because she's a lesbian, doesn't mean she's into you."_ Mustering up the remaining courage that she head, Natsuki sharply turned her head to face Shizuru – finding her face no more than a few centimetres away. She could see the surprise in Shizuru's eyes, though the other woman made no move to pull back. "That's funny," Natsuki whispered in a voice that made Shizuru's toes curl, "I could say the same thing."

Shizuru felt her face heat up uncontrollably. Her body was screaming for her to close the gap between them, but her mind was telling her otherwise. "_She's just playing around," _Shizuru reminded herself repeatedly as she forced an amused smile onto her face. She pulled back and readjusted her position. Natsuki did the same a moment later. "Well, now that we've determined there is in fact no need for a defibrillator, what do you say about finishing that movie?" Shizuru asked – ignoring the way that her voice was cracking.

"Sounds good," Natsuki replied eagerly. She focused carefully on her breathing as Shizuru got up off of the bed. When she heard the infirmary door close, Natsuki ran a hand through her hair anxiously. _"Shizuru's gay," _her mind chanted over and over again triumphantly. _"And a coworker," _came a less joyful afterthought. "Not to mention completely out of your league,"Natsuki grumbled. She had never even really considered that Shizuru might be interested in women. But now that Natsuki knew she was, had anything even really changed between them?

* * *

Shizuru was so lost in though that she almost walked right passed the conference room. She opened the door quickly – her gaze falling on the laptop on the table. _"Natsuki is a lesbian," _Shizuru mentally repeated to herself for what seemed like the hundredth time. Her mind tried desperately to replay what had happened in the infirmary; Shizuru had been too consumed by the moment to gauge Natsuki's reaction. The other woman certainly didn't seem to be intimidated by her, like so many others were. Shizuru's stomach cramped a little when she ran through the way that Natsuki had teasingly spoken right back to her.

"_Ara," _Shizuru mused to herself as her cheeks flushed lightly, _"I've_ _never been_ _beaten at my own game before." _

* * *

**A/N:** **So I really hope that you guys enjoyed that! :D**

**Lol, I actually toyed around with the idea of having Natsuki stay with Nao instead of Shizuru for a while. I figured it would be less predicatble, plus I could write them driving each other insane. In the end though, I decided that I did kind of want Shizuru and Natsuki to be living in the same place for a while (I have plans for them... muahahaha). Lol, and then the idea to make Nao married just sort of came to me. I figured it would totally be the sort of thing that Nao would just forget to tell everyone about, then casually slip it into conversation and proceed to walk away. :D Maybe it's just me, lol.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi everyone! I know it's been quite a while (and by quite, I mean a ridiculously long while) since I've last updated this story. I'm sorry for making you all wait for so long. I got a bit caught up with school and other boring life stuff like that, but I want you to know that I have every intention of finishing this story. It may take many, many years (with any luck not), but I will pull it off!**

** Thank you to everyone whose stuck with this story for so long, and big thanks to those who continue to review and PM me in the hopes that I update. I am really honored to have such a committed group of readers!**

** This chapter is a bit of a detour from the case that Natsuki and Shizuru had been working on, but for all those who like the crime solving aspect of this story: rest assured that it'll pick up again in later chapters.**

** Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoy it! :D**

* * *

**Chapter #9: Sudden Adjustments**

"Mai!" Natsuki exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "I've been shot, not paralysed. I can get into the car by myself."

Natsuki and Mai were standing in the Garderrobe Agency parking lot - an air of apprehension surrounding them. After a week in the infirmary, Natsuki was finally being released. Natsuki swallowed hard as she considered her situation. She was relieved to finally get to go home. But it was where her definition of 'home' had suddenly shifted to that was panic-inducing.

The redhead scowled in response, but stood back and gave Natsuki her space nevertheless. The navy haired woman suppressed a grimace as she gently lowered herself into the car before her. Pain tore through her left side, but after spending seven days with a hole in her side she was almost accustomed to its presence.

Mai waited until Natsuki was inside before gently closing the car door behind her. Then she made her way around to the driver's side - climbing in with ease that came dangerously close to making Natsuki jealous. "So," Mai began with a familiar sparkle in her eyes, "to Viola-san's?"

Natsuki almost winced at the familiar name. "Obviously," she replied with a hint of a malice in her voice.

"Alright... grumpy," Mai replied with an amused smile. She turned the key in the ignition and eased the car out of the parking lot. As the two hit their first red light, Mai slowed the car to a stop and Natsuki shifted uncomfortably under her seat-belt. The silence between the two women was almost suffocating. The discomfort grew until Mai couldn't take it any more.

"...Can you please just say what ever it is you need to get out?"

"How could you do this?" Natsuki snapped. "I have to live with her now. This is all on you."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Mai replied with a raised eyebrow. "How _dare_ I make plans for you to temporarily live with the woman of your dreams. What could I have possibly been thinking?"

"Mai!" Natsuki growled. "And I think calling her the woman of my dreams is a bit of a stretch," she added as an afterthought.

"Really?" Mai questioned. "Cause she's the woman of _my_ dreams. If I hadn't run into your new director on the way out, I may have seriously questioned my sexuality after meeting her."

"Oh God." Natuski wrinkled her nose in disgust but couldn't suppress a smile. "Don't get your hopes up, Mai. He may have a daughter." Her mind flashed back to Director Wong's office, and the picture of him with a small, navy-haired girl on his desk.

"But does he have a wife?" Mai asked – seemingly unfazed by this new information.

"I'll leave that up to you to find out," Natsuki replied in a mildly amused tone. Her slight smile faded when her mind snapped back to the current situation. With a hefty groan, she tilted her head back against her seat.

"What!?" Mai snapped. "You are killing me here."

"Do you know how embarrassing this is?" Natsuki demanded. "I can't even walk straight. I have my own special toilet seat for God's sake! I don't want Shizuru to see me like this." She was referring to the plastic seat with handles to help her get from a sitting position to a standing one. It was currently stashed in the trunk of Mai's car.

Mai briefly turned to give Natsuki an unamused look. "You're worried about a toilet seat? The great Kruger Natsuki will take a bullet for you any day – just don't ask her to squat over anything other than porcelain."

"This isn't funny!" Natsuki exclaimed. Mai raised an eyebrow in response but said nothing. Natuski considered the other woman's statement for a few seconds. When Mai put it like that, it did sound a bit ridiculous. Natsuki quickly turned away so that the red-head wouldn't see the corner of her mouth turning up into a smile.

"Seriously Natsuki, stop freaking out," Mai said with a laugh. "Everything is going to be just fine."

Natsuki said nothing in response and turned to look out the passenger window.

"Geez," Mai mumbled, "you used to have so much game. Now you're just acting like a lovestruck teenager.

"Just drive," Natsuki growled.

* * *

"This can't be the right street," Natsuki stated as she and Mai scanned the rows of houses on either side of them. There was no chance that Shizuru would be able to afford any of the houses they had passed so far. Elite agents were paid well, but not _that_ well.

"It is according to what Viola-san wrote down," Mai replied. "Number 226." Natsuki felt her stomach knot even tighter when Mai pulled the car into the driveway of a gorgeous two-story house. "...Wow." Mai commented when the car had come to a stop. The light gray house before them almost looked like something off of the cover of a real-estate magazine. White pillars lined the front porch, both for effect and support of the second-floor balcony above them. There was even a white picket fence lining the front yard.

Natsuki leaned forward a little to take in the full effect of the house. "_How the hell can she afford something this big?" _"Mai..." Natsuki began. "Do you think Shizuru is..."

"Filthy rich?" Mai finished for her. "Judging by both her wardrobe and house, Viola-san is either rich or very much in debt."

_"Because she wasn't intimidating enough before," _Natsuki thought to herself spitefully. "Well," she forced herself to speak, "I guess we should get a move on." She refused to allow the fact that she would be living with Shizuru sink in any further; her heart was pounding hard enough as it was.

"Right," Mai agreed. "Stay there, I'll come get you."

Before Natsuki could protest, Mai had unbuckled her seat belt and was out of the car. The redhead jogged around to the passenger side and opened Natsuki's door for her. Natsuki bit back a frustrated sigh as she let Mai help her out of the car. "Arigato, Mai," she muttered. She tugged at her shirt as she straightened up. "Not just for right now. For helping me pack up all my stuff and taking me here." At the moment, bending over to lift moving boxes seemed practically impossible, and the painkillers that she was on meant she wasn't allowed to drive. Even simple things like getting into a standing position from a sitting one seemed daunting.

"Natsuki," Mai chided with a playful grin. "Friends don't have to thank each other for stuff like this. Just like they don't have to apologize when they throw out your old pyjamas and replace them with sexy lingerie."

Natsuki's smile faded instantly. "You did what!?"

"Shall we?" Mai looped her arm around the navy-haired woman's neck and began guiding her to the door.

"Mai!" Natsuki growled. "Are you telling me that I didn't bring any pyjamas?!"

They reached the front door and Mai knocked on the front door before Natsuki could stop her. "No," Mai replied – her tone as care free as always. "You just have better ones."

"I _cannot_ wear lingerie to bed in Shizuru's house!" Natsuki snapped - lowering her voice to a furious whisper in case Shizuru was near the door. "She's going to think I'm trying to... seduce her or something."

"You _are_ trying to seduce her!" Mai replied in an equally hushed tone.

"_No_, I'm not!" Natsuki snapped. "...And those pyjamas had puppies on them!" Mai gave Natsuki a look and opened her mouth to reply. But before she could reply, the front door opened and both women quickly faced forwards as if nothing had happened.

When Shizuru pulled back the door, Natsuki instantly forget what she and Mai had been arguing about. Shizuru was dressed casually – in a pair of black tights and a long purple sweater – but Natsuki thought that she had never looked more gorgeous. "Hi," Natsuki spoke quietly.

Shizuru felt a smile tug at her lips as her eyes locked with Natsuki's. "Hi," she replied. It wasn't until Mai shifted on her feet that Shizuru snapped out of her daze. "It's nice to see you again, Tokiha-san," Shizuru added as she turned to smile at the red-headed woman.

"Likewise," Mai grinned. "Great house by the way."

"Ookini," Shizuru replied with a small laugh. She stepped back a little to let the two women inside. "Is there anything I can get for you before we start bringing in boxes?" Shizuru asked. "I could make some tea?"

"I'm fine, arigato," Mai replied. "I'm actually in a bit of a hurry. The drive back takes a couple of hours and my sadistic boss is making me work this weekend, so..."

"Of course," Shizuru nodded. "Feel free to make yourself at home, Natsuki." With that, she and Mai headed back towards the car to begin bringing in Natsuki's things. Shizuru barely had time to relish the way the words had slipped easily off her tongue before being handed a heavy box filled with clothing.

* * *

A few minutes later, the last box had been taken inside. Mai clapped her hands together with a satisfied sigh, as she examined the boxes strewn across Shizuru's front hallway. "Well, that's the last of them."

Shizuru nodded in agreement and wiped the thin line of sweat that had accumulated on her brow. "Perhaps I shouldn't have worn a sweater in this heat," Shizuru said with a laugh. Natsuki tried not to stare as Shizuru lifted her hair up behind her neck before letting it fall back down. The slight red tinge on the older woman's cheeks made it seem like she was glowing.

"I know what you mean," Mai agreed. She tugged up the sleeves of her own sweater in an effort to cool off. "Well Natsuki, I really do have to get going." The redhead wasted no time in walking over to Natsuki and gently tugging her off of the wall she was leaning on. "Go easy on Viola-san," she instructed as she pulled Natsuki into a fierce hug.

Natsuki hesitated before an amused smile formed on her face. She halfheartedly wrapped her arms around the redhead. Shizuru smiled as Natsuki's green eyes met hers. "Only if she goes easy on me," Natsuki replied with a grin. Shizuru was unable to suppress a small laugh. After a moment, Natsuki turned away from the mischievous glint in Shizuru's eyes and back to Mai. "And once again, arigato." Natsuki bent her head a bit closer to Mai and added quietly: "But don't think I've forgotten about the pyjamas."

Mai released Natsuki from her death grip with a grin "Viola-san," she said as she turned to walk over to Shizuru. "Anyone who can put up with Natsuki's grumpiness has my utmost respect."

"Ookini," Shizuru replied with a laugh. She was a little surprised when Mai pulled her into a small hug as well, but recovered quickly.

"Take care of her," Mai spoke softly in Shizuru's ear before pulling away.

"I'll do my best," Shizuru promised and Mai could tell from the look in her eyes that she really meant it. She held Shizuru's gaze for a long moment – long enough so she could be sure that Shizuru understood the true meaning of the moment – before heading for the front door.

Shizuru watched silently as Mai closed the door behind her. Though she barely knew the red-head, she knew that they had come to a new understanding. Mai had no choice but to return to Fuuka, so she was trusting Shizuru to care for Natsuki in her place. It was a great responsibility; Shizuru felt honoured.

After a moment's contemplation, Shizuru locked the front door behind her. She turned back to the navy haired woman in the front hall and hesitated. Now that Natsuki was here, Shizuru almost felt a little on edge. She was never one for opening up to other people. And having someone in her home – the one place where she let herself be vulnerable– was toying with her sense of security.

"Shizuru," Natsuki stated bluntly, "how can I get Director Wong to pay me as much as he's paying you?" She tilted her head up to glance at the winding staircase as the end of the hall – a small smile on her face. "I'm pretty sure your mortgage payments could end world hunger."

Shizuru's felt a grin form on her face when she registered what Natsuki had said. It was the sort of borderline tactless comment one only made with the people they were truly comfortable with. It was the sort of comment that clashed with the white picket fence and picturesque garden. Shattered the illusion of a showcase home so tidy it looked almost un-lived in.

With one comment Natsuki had pointed out everything ironic about how Shizuru had been living for the past five years - bluntly voicing the ridiculous nature of one woman living in a house that could hold ten. And for some reason, it was the most refreshing comment anyone had ever made upon seeing her home.

"I'm glad you're here, Natsuki," Shizuru replied softly. Natsuki's deep, green eyes regarded her silently and Shizuru realized that Natsuki was still waiting for some sort of explanation. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room," she added quietly.

"That would be great," Natsuki replied - deciding not to press the issue. She moved a bit to the side so that Shizuru could brush passed her. The brunette headed towards the staircase and, after a moment, Natsuki followed behind her.

Shizuru paused to shove one of the boxes scattered around them to the side. Natsuki politely averted her gaze as Shizuru bent over in her tight black pants – a slight blush forming on her face. _"Stay calm," _Natsuki recited to herself like a mantra. She would have to get used to living in close proximity to the other woman as soon as possible. _"Like I'll __**ever **__get used to it," _Natuski couldn't help but think.

When Natsuki allowed herself to turn back, she realized that Shizuru was already halfway up the stairs. The navy-haired woman quickly hurried to catch up – only slowing when her injury restricted her to tackling the stairs at half-speed.

Shizuru glanced over her shoulder, sensing that the navy-haired agent wasn't behind her. She mentally kicked herself when she saw Natsuki gingerly taking the stairs one at a time. "Oh, Natsuki," Shizuru spoke breathlessly. "Let me help you." A couple of seconds later, Shizuru was at Natsuki's side.

Natsuki's expression changed from determined concentration to surprise when she registered what Shizuru had said. "Oh, no, I'm fine," she said with a forced laugh.

Shizuru raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in response. She studied the angry blush on the younger woman's face and felt a pang of guilt. _"She's too proud to ask for help," _Shizuru realized.

Natsuki watched as Shizuru visibly hesitated. "Really Shizuru," she added, "I'll manage. You're not going to always be there to help me get up the stairs." Her grip tightened on the dark mahogany railing as she used her upper body strength to move up a step. The movement put her on the same step as Shizuru and Natsuki tried desperately to ignore her close proximity.

Shizuru watched as Natsuki's strong arms wavered a little under the stress and she mentally cursed the younger woman for her stubbornness. Did she really expect to be at full strength after lying in a hospital bed for a week? "Natsuki," she spoke with quiet insistence, "put your arm around my shoulders."

Natsuki's breath hitched as she felt Shizuru's arm brush against her lower back and curl around her lower waist. The motion was obviously so that Shizuru could lift some of the weight for her, but Natsuki was not mentally prepared for Shizuru's thumb rubbing circles into her right side. Natsuki bit her lower lip to stop herself from moaning aloud. _Oh god. _The touch burned into her skin.

The small movement was meant to be encouraging, but when Natsuki stiffened Shizuru pulled back suddenly. "Did I hurt you?" she asked in a panicked voice.

_"Subtle," _Natsuki congratulated herself sarcastically. "No. I guess I'm just a bit ticklish," she replied sheepishly.

"Kanin na," Shizuru laughed. Natsuki hesitantly wrapped her left arm around Shizuru's shoulders and Shizuru's grip around Natsuki's waist tightened reflexively.

_"Calm," _Natsuki chanted as Shizuru leaned into her to get more leverage. The smell of Shizuru's shampoo was almost intoxicating. _"Stay calm."_

Shizuru bristled a bit as Natsuki's arm grazed her neck, but quickly recovered. With a joint effort, the two women carefully made their way to the top of the stairs. Natsuki would never admit it, but having Shizuru support half of her weight definitely made things easier. "Arigato," Natsuki said - pulling her arm back from Shizuru like the older woman was on fire. Shizuru responded with a small smile and retracted her arm as well.

"Wow," Natsuki commented as she looked around the upper story of the house. A long hallway extended to her left, and an open concept area to her right. From what Natsuki could see, Shizuru had used the wide open space to set up a home gym. There was a treadmill, exercise bike and a set of weights against the far wall. A bit closer were quite a few interesting looking weapons – as beautiful as they appeared to be deadly. "_Kind of like Shizuru," _Natsuki couldn't help but think. A thick mat lined the floor to prevent injury and in the centre of the room hung a punching bag that had obviously seen its fair share of use. "I would love to have something like this set up at home," she commented wistfully.

"Please feel free to use it anytime," Shizuru replied with a smile. "With any luck in a week or two you'll feel more up to it. Just promise me that you won't try anything you're not ready for."

"A week or two?" Natsuki repeated with a furrowed brow. _Would she really be staying at Shizuru's for that long? _"Shizuru, I really don't want to inconvenience you. In a couple more days or so..."

"Natsuki," Shizuru cut the shorter woman off with a hand on her shoulder. Natsuki's green eyes met hers before briefly glancing down at the hand on her shoulder. Shizuru quickly pulled her hand away again – as if she hadn't really realized she was touching Natsuki until that moment. The older woman could feel her cheeks start to uncharacteristically burn. "You can stay as long as you need to, Natsuki."

Natsuki watched as the brown-haired woman averted her gaze and seemed to look at everything but her. "I'm sure if Nao were here she'd make some joke about lesbians and u-hauls," she replied with a grin.

A smile turned up at the corners of Shizuru's mouth and Natsuki's grin widened. "Ara," Shizuru replied with a sparkle in her eye, "I'm afraid we _are_ setting a bit of a record, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Natsuki laughed. "Usually there's anywhere from one to two dates beforehand."

Shizuru's melodic laugh seemed to echo in the open space. If she had been talking to any other woman she was attracted to, she would have responded with a teasing: "Well, let's see what we can do about that" or at the very least "What a novel idea." She would have sold it with a playful smirk, prolonged eye contact, and maybe even some flirtatious touching. But with Natsuki doing any of those things felt... wrong. Cheap somehow to use tactics that she'd used on women before. Natsuki was so much more than that, Shizuru told herself. _"Or maybe you're just afraid she'll say 'no'," _Shizuru added as an afterthought. Her stomach tightened painfully as she considered that the truth was probably a mixture of both options.

"So, what do people say when they see your... arsenal?" Natsuki asked her curiously. She gestured to the weapons in the corner. "They're gorgeous, but they're not exactly low-profile."

"You mean how do I convince my dates that I'm not a serial killer without letting onto the fact that I'm a secret government operative?" Shizuru asked in an amused tone.

"Well, okay," Natsuki laughed, "if you want to put it bluntly."

Shizuru allowed a slow smile creep across her face. Natsuki took one look at the mischievous look in her eyes and knew she was in for it. "You forget your training Kruger-san," Shizuru drawled. "You're making an assumption."

Natsuki did all she could to stop her heart from pounding out of her chest when Shizuru tilted her head a little to the side. "And what would that be?" she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Most women I bring home never make it upstairs."

Natsuki felt her face flush a bright red as she realized the implications of her statement. Mental images of Shizuru sprawled out on the soft carpet in her living room assaulted her mind. The image was replaced with one of Shizuru spread out on the large couch – her face flushed with exertion. Natsuki blinked a few times as she desperately tried to clear the images from her mind.

Shizuru burst out laughing at the stunned look on Natsuki's face. "I'm kidding, Natsuki," she managed to gasp out as she regained a perfectly straight face.

Natsuki desperately tried to ignore the tingling feeling that crept down her torso. She forced a cocky grin onto her face. "I did kind of figure that."

"Usually my conquests don't make it up the driveway," Shizuru deadpanned. With that, she brushed passed Natsuki and headed down the hallway.

"Sh...Shizuru!" Natsuki managed to get out. She couldn't suppress the grin on her face. Shizuru felt an irrepressible smile tug at her lips as well. "Geez," the navy-haired woman laughed, "remind me not to go anywhere near the big couch you have down there. Or the front steps." She took a couple steps toward the brown-haired agent.

"Ara," Shizuru commented as she opened the second door on the left. "If that's how you feel about it, I should probably warn you to stay away from the coffee table as well."

"Agent Viola!" Natsuki exclaimed. Shizuru's teasing comments were _not_ helping Natsuki slow her heart rate back down to normal.

"And the beautiful mantle on top of the fire-place," Shizuru added – completely unable to resist.

"Oh God," Natsuki laughed. Shizuru pushed the door open the rest of the way and gestured for Natsuki to step inside the room. Her sparkling red eyes didn't leave Natsuki's. "Are you finished?" Natsuki asked with a raised eyebrow. She paused in the doorway, not fully realizing how close she was to the brown-haired woman until she turned to face her.

"Well," Shizuru added with a slight wince, "there was that time on the kitchen counter..." she trailed off with a smirk as Natsuki's grin widened.

"Now that's just unsanitary," Natsuki replied playfully. It had been a long time since anyone had made her blush like a hormonal teenager. Maybe it was the medication but she was even starting to feel a little light-headed.

Shizuru let a look of realization play across her face. She lowered her voice to a slow drawl. "Is _that_ why she kept telling me what a dirty, _dirty..." _The sound of the doorbell chiming cut her off mid-sentence and made both women jump. Natsuki's entire body tensed, sending a searing pain through her side. She bit back a cry of pain and managed to resume a neutral facial expression before Shizuru noticed.

"Ara," Shizuru said with a little sigh. She glanced over in the direction of the front door as if she could see through the floor and stairs in her way. "Well, maybe some things are better left to the imagination," she said with a devilish grin forming on her face.

Natsuki was well aware of the fact that Shizuru was trying to see just how red she could get the younger agent's face to go. Her thoughts were momentarily brought back to Mai telling her that she used to have game. _"I really did at one point. Before Shizuru appeared, anyway," _Natsuki reminded herself. She held onto that thought as she let loose a small laugh, then covered her mouth as though it had betrayed her. "I'm sorry," she said while halfheartedly trying to suppress a grin. "I'm just enjoying the fact that you think sex on a kitchen counter is kinky. It's..." Natsuki searched for the perfect word, and her smiled widened when she found it. "..._sweet_ really."

Shizuru's eyes widened a little as she took a step closer. _"Ara," _Shizuru couldn't help but think, "_So that's how you want to play this?"_ "Oh really?" She spoke - trying to appear as unamused as possible, but the irrepressible smile on her face gave away her true feelings on the manner. "_Sweet," _she repeated – emphasizing the word as if it tasted bad on her tongue. "I certainly haven't gotten that one before."

"Really?" Natsuki asked with a pensive frown. "Innocent maybe?" The cocky smirk on her face made Shizuru inhale a shaky breath. The older woman almost forgot to respond with a dramatic, scorned expression.

"There was nothing _innocent_ about it," Shizuru hissed. Her crimson eyes seemed to flash as she took a step toward Natsuki. "I'll have you know there were spatulas involved." she blurted out the first kitchen object to come to mind. The statement was intended to make Natsuki lose her composure and Shizuru watched in delight as the younger agent let the statement play around in her head. Natsuki's confident smirk twitched a little - a valiant effort to recover from the shock - before bursting into a fit of laughter. Shizuru followed soon after and soon the two women were blinking back tears.

"I don't even know how to process that," Natsuki managed to get out between laughs. The laughter dug into her side painfully, but she had no problem ignoring it.

The doorbell rang again, surprising them both. "I really should get that," Shizuru said with a smile that Natsuki thought was the most genuine smile she had even seen Shizuru give. The brown-haired woman quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs. A moment later, Natsuki heard the front door open. She turned back to her room and took a good look around. Like the rest of the house, it looked like a page from the home decor magazine Natsuki had been forced to read while trapped in the infirmary. The beige walls were accented by dark wood furniture and a light golden-brown bedspread. There were ornate lamps on the nightstands lining the large bed, and beautiful pictures of sakura trees on the walls. Natsuki opened the closet door to find a roomy walk-in closet, and the bathroom had both a small bathtub and shower.

The sound of laughter drew Natsuki's attention away from the room. Shizuru and whoever was at the door seemed to be having a good time talking. Natsuki stepped out of the bathroom and made her way to the bedroom door just in time to hear an exchange of pleasantries as Shizuru closed the door. When Shizuru began climbing the stairs, Natsuki quickly ducked back into the room.

"Kanin na," Shizuru offered with a smile as she re-entered the bedroom. The brown-haired woman glanced around the room and looked as if she was about to say something.

"Who was at the door?" Natsuki asked before the other woman could speak. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"One of my neighbours just saw my car in the driveway and stopped by to say hello," Shizuru replied. "Just a bit of pleasant small talk." Natsuki regarded the older woman quietly. Shizuru didn't seem to want to say anything more about the matter.

"Oh," Natsuki replied - nodded in understanding. "That's nice." It took a bit of effort to make her tone match the statement. The two women stared at each other for a moment. The playful energy from before dissipated as their conversation took a more formal turn.

"Is your room to your liking?" Shizuru asked.

"Oh, yeah," Natsuki answered honestly, "it's gorgeous. Arigato."

"I'm glad that you like it," Shizuru replied. "I'll get your boxes so you can start unpacking." She stepped out of the room before Natsuki could reply.

* * *

Half an hour later, Natsuki had finished unpacking. She was in the process of collapsing empty cardboard boxes when there was a polite knock at her bedroom door. Natsuki turned around to find Shizuru leaning against the door frame.

"Hi," Natsuki said with a contagious grin. She had no idea how Shizuru had managed it, but Natsuki hadn't even heard her walk up the stairs.

"How is everything going?" Shizuru asked, her intelligent eyes observing the scene in front of her. The younger agent hadn't brought much with her. But unlike the majority of her house, the room finally looked lived in. A small smile crossed her lips when her eyes fell on the stuffed husky lying on Natsuki's bed.

"Great," Natsuki replied, "I think I'm finally..." she trailed off as she studied the look on Shizuru's face more closely. The older woman was looking intently at something just passed her right shoulder. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "Stop that."

"Hmm?" Shizuru spoke as her gaze snapped back to meet Natsuki's. "Stop what?"

"Studying my room like it belongs to a suspect," Natsuki replied with a slow shake of her head. "Don't give me that innocent look, Shizuru."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Shizuru said with wide eyes. "I simply came up here to ask what you would like me to make for dinner."

It was such a thoughtful, domestic sounding statement that Natsuki was a little caught off guard. "W...wait, you really don't have to cook for me, Shizuru," she said after a moment. "You've done more than enough for me already." She gestured at the bedroom to emphasize her point.

"Natsuki," Shizuru began with a slow smile. The younger agent felt her heartbeat speed up a little at the tone in her voice. For a moment, Natsuki allowed herself to believe that this was a typical workday. She and Shizuru had just driven home together, and Natsuki was in the process of unwinding. It wasn't unusual for them to cook for each other. "I don't think a place to stay while you recover can really compare to everything that you've done for..." Shizuru began.

Natsuki flushed angrily when she realized what Shizuru was about to say. "Stop," she said quietly. The brown-haired woman paused mid-sentence - her eyes searching Natsuki's. Shizuru's statement had ripped Natsuki from her fantasy world. "The last thing I want is for you to feel like you owe me something," Natsuki stated – anger tinting her words just enough to be audible. She didn't want Shizuru doing things for her just because she felt obligated. Things were confusing enough between them as it was.

"A...alright," Shizuru replied. The older woman was a little caught off guard. _Did I say something offensive? _"If you would prefer that I order something or..." she began slowly.

"No that's not what I...," Natsuki began – frustration evident in her voice and her features. "I'm... I'm sorry, I'm sure what ever you want to make will be great. Arigato."

Shizuru hesitated before turning and walking back out of the room. She paused in the doorway to say, "I'll let you know when it's ready then," before heading back downstairs. She paused at the foot of the stairs – her hand curling around the railing. The brown-haired woman was a little frustrated herself. _Why won't she just let me take care of her? Would it be so bad to accept my help?_

Upstairs, Natsuki gingerly sat down on the springy bed she'd been given. It was high enough that she didn't have much trouble, but that didn't stop the young agent from releasing a frustrated growl. She had been in Shizuru's house for less than a day and was already acting strangely. If Shizuru found out that Natsuki was attracted to her, it would put both women in a very awkward position. "_If only I wasn't on these stupid painkillers," _Natsuki thought to herself. They made it hard enough to think clearly, let alone control her body language, facial expressions _and_ vocal intonations. Of course, it didn't help that Shizuru was an elite agent trained to decipher people's darkest desires.

A faint ringing sound snapped her out of her train of thought. Natsuki glanced around the room with a small frown on her face. It was her ring tone, but where exactly was her cell phone? Natsuki carefully stood up from the bed and followed the sound down the hallway. When she peered down the stairs, she saw Shizuru pick up her cellphone from a small table by the front door.

"Sorry, that's mine," Natsuki said sheepishly.

Shizuru turned to look up at her with a smile on her face. "I believe your mother is calling you, Natsuki," she said with a laugh. Quickly she jogged up the stairs and dropped the cellphone into Natsuki's waiting hands.

"Arigato," Natsuki said as she flipped open the phone. "Mom?" she asked.

"Oh, _finally_ Natsuki," her mother's voice rang through the phone. Her disapproving tone instantly made the navy-haired woman nervous. "Where are you, honey? It's late."

"What?" Natsuki replied - a frown forming on her lips. "What do you mean, where am I? I'm just... enjoying a relaxing night in."

"Well, I've been knocking on your apartment door for five minutes now, and it sure seems like no one is home," her mother replied. Natsuki's gaze snapped up from a spot on the floor she had been fixating on.

"What?!" Natsuki demanded. The shock in her voice caused Shizuru to pause in her descent back down the stairs. "You're in Garderrobe?! Right now?!" Shizuru's eyes widened a little when she heard the panic in Natsuki's voice.

"Yes, I'm in Garderrobe," her mother replied in an annoyed tone. "Natsuki, did you change addresses and not tell me? I came all the way down here to surprise you. We always said that one day I'd have to come down and stay the weekend."

"Yeah, we said that mom, but we never made any plans," Natsuki replied frantically.

"Natsuki, it's just a casual visit," her mother replied. "Look, honey, I'll get over it if your apartment is a mess. Aren't you at least going to let me in?"

There was silence on Natsuki's end. The younger agent opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came to mind. An uncomfortable moment passed.

"Don't you want to see me?" her mother asked. There was no understanding in her voice, and Natsuki couldn't blame her. _Why, of all weeks, did she pick this one?_

"...Of course I want to see you mom, I just..." Natuski began, but had no way to finish the sentence. Her hand subconsciously reached for her injured side. Shizuru noticed the gesture and swallowed hard. Natsuki's mother knew nothing about her being shot, much less what she did for a living. There was a long pause as Natsuki's mind tried frantically to work out some sort of solution to the mess she had been thrown into. The pause was too long. Shizuru quickly closed the gap between the two of them and gestured for Natsuki to hang up. Natsuki hesitated before giving a small nod of her head. "Mom, I'm really sorry but I've got to call you back. I'll just be a minute." Before her mother could protest, she snapped the phone shut.

With trembling hands, Natsuki lowered the phone. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she was too frantic to bother trying to slow it back to normal. "Shizuru..." Natsuki began – her voice pleading. Her thoughts were racing too quickly for rational thought. "...my mother is _in _Garderrobe, outside of my apartment. She's waiting for me to let her in." The younger agent ran a hand anxiously through her long before continuing. "I have no way of explaining why I'm not there and if she finds out I got shot then she's going to want answers. Like why I decided not to tell her about it. And it's not like I can tell her what I do for a living."

"Alright," Shizuru stated, keeping her voice calm for Natsuki's sake. "You've bought us a few minutes anyway, so let's think this through." She placed a hand on Natsuki's shoulder so the younger woman would look at her. When Natsuki's green eyes finally met hers, Shizuru held her gaze. "I know that this is personal, but we've handled far more delicate situations than this. We can work this out, Natsuki."

"I know," Natsuki said with a nod of her head. "I know," she repeated, "I'm just having a bit of trouble..." she trailed off as she lifted a hand to her head. She exhaled slowly and started to organize her thoughts. "Okay, my mother expects me to be at my apartment."

"Are enough of your things still there to make it seem lived in?" Shizuru asked. "You could say that you worked late and are just getting home now."

"It looks a bit bare, but I could probably make it work," Natsuki replied as she tried to remember how her apartment had looked when she left. "My main concern is explaining why I can't drive. And why I can't move properly."

"Alright," Shizuru murmured after a moment's consideration. "What if you got into a slight car accident on the way home from work? You can leave the car at my house and tell your mother it's being repaired. Your side was injured in the crash."

"My mom's going to demand to see the injury," Natsuki replied. "I don't know how I'm going to explain such a...precise injury with a car crash. And even if I manage to keep her from taking off the bandages, the location of the wound isn't exactly characteristic of a car accident."

"You're right," Shizuru replied – her mind working furiously. "What about medical reasons? You could tell her that you've just had your appendix removed. The painkillers you're on prevent you from driving, so you had me - a friend from work – drive you home from the hospital."

"My mom had hers out a few years ago, so she'll know the wound placement is wrong," Natsuki replied with a shake of her head.

"Of course she did," Shizuru replied with a sigh. She brushed her hair back in a smooth motion as she considered their options. "I think we're approaching this the wrong way," she said finally. "It seems to me that the main problem we're running into is an explanation of your injury. So the best solution would be one in which your mother fails to notice it entirely."

"Agreed," Natsuki replied after a short pause. "But how are we going to manage that? I'm not exactly agile at the moment. And there's just too much to explain."

"I'm afraid it wouldn't be the most tactful solution, but is there any way that you can send her back home?" Shizuru asked. "The only way we can be sure that she won't notice your injury is if she doesn't see you at all."

"It's almost seven though," Natsuki replied. "It'll get dark out before she makes it halfway home. And I think she was probably planning on staying over for the weekend. If I tell her I have plans or that I have to work late, she's just going to want to wait in my apartment until I get home."

"Of course," Shizuru replied – a little embarrassed that what Natsuki was saying hadn't occurred to her. "That makes sense." It had been so long since she'd had parents drop in for a casual visit. Her stomach clenched a little at the thought. "If we can't send her back home then we're left with..."

"Distraction," Natsuki finished for her. "We effectively blind her by either confirming something that she fears or giving her something that she wants." She paused to consider what she had just suggested. "I guess I've never really thought about it before, but my mom _is_ the sort of person who I would consider a prime candidate for something like this. Easily excitable, prone to overreacting."

"Alright," Shizuru replied with a nod. "Since this is after all your mother, I think it may be kinder to use desire instead of fear. Though if we're taking this approach, I don't think it's a one person job. If we can find a way to work me into the situation I can help you get around the house, drive you places, distract your mother while you change your bandages."

"Okay," Natsuki replied in an excited tone. "That could work, but what will we distract her with, and more importantly how will we work you into the situation?"

"Well, we need some sort of sustainable lie to enact. The simplest way I can think of doing that is by giving _you_ something that she wants for you. That way we avoid doing something like... pretending she's won the lottery only to admit days later that it was all a fraud. If the lie most directly affects you, then you can drag it out for as long as necessary and wrap it up cleanly when you're finished."

Natsuki nodded her head in agreement. What Shizuru was saying made a lot of sense.

"So what does your mother want for you or think you lack?" Shizuru asked. "Career success? Financial security? We could have a celebration for a big promotion you've just received. I could forget myself and drink so much that I have to stay the night on your couch, and in the morning we could make plans for the new day."

The thought if Shizuru playing the part of a tacky houseguest made Natsuki smile. The older woman seemed far too conscientious to ever do something socially awkward. But Natsuki knew that her mother wasn't exactly thrilled about her job with the temp agency. Unless Natsuki invented a new cover job, her mother probably wouldn't be happy enough for her; she knew Natsuki well enough to know that temp agency work could never lead to career satisfaction. "It's not going to work," Natsuki said with a shake of her head. "She doesn't want it enough."

"Then what does she want?" Shizuru prodded. "Out of everything in this world, what is the one thing she wants most for you?"

Natsuki's stomach tightened painfully into knots as it suddenly hit her. She knew exactly how to distract her mother from her injury. The idea made her tremble with nervous anticipation. "Natsuki?" Shizuru spoke softly. She watched as there was a noticeable change in Natsuki's features. The younger woman had looked anxious before, but the look on her face was more a fearful resignation now.

"What do all parent's want most for their children?" Natsuki asked quietly. It was a conscious effort to meet Shizuru's gaze without flinching. Shizuru gave her a soft, questioning look in response. "Love," Natsuki spoke – the word barely making it out at all. "She wants me to find love."

There was a long pause as both women considered the implications of the statement. "Oh," Shizuru whispered. "Of...of course she does," she said with a nod of her head. "And your mother knows that you prefer women?"

"Yes," Natsuki replied – her stomach knotting even further. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn and took a deep breath to try and get things back under control.

"Good," Shizuru replied with a soft smile. She tentatively reached out to rest her hand on Natsuki's shoulder. Her hand rubbed gently against the side of the younger woman's neck to coax her into meeting her eyes. "Then you'll have love," Shizuru whispered.

Natsuki trembled under the touch but forced a small nod. Shizuru was looking at her so intensely that Natsuki had a hard time reminding herself that the older woman was playing a part. Shizuru slowly pulled her hand back.

"Now that we have a story, we need to embellish a little," Shizuru said with a smile. "Let's try and keep this as close to real life as possible for the sake of simplicity. We work together at the temp agency and met on your first day of work when I conducted your orientation."

"Okay," Natsuki nodded. Her attentive gaze faltered a little as Shizuru continued speaking.

"We began dating three days after meeting, and you occasionally stay over at my house. I'll offer to put your mother up for the night since my house has more room than your apartment. That should ensure I stay in the picture. Our relationship will also give me an excuse to be physically close enough to you to aid in your movement..." Shizuru trailed off a little as she saw the hesitation on Natsuki's face. "Are you alright, Natsuki?" she asked with a frown.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Natsuki almost blurted out. "I don't want to make things awkward for you or..."

"Natsuki," Shizuru cut the younger woman off, "we'll both treat this as if it were an assignment. Considering how serious it would be if your mother found out about our line of work, it really may as well be. Alright?" Shizuru asked - her voice full of expectation.

Natsuki considered her statement. It _would_ be a severe breach of protocol if her mother found out. It was possible to put forward a motion to tell someone the basics about their work, but it took months to put through the paperwork. The process involved a psychological profiling of the person under consideration for disclosure and even a few legal contracts. But such procedures were usually reserved for spouses only. It had never even really occurred to Natsuki to bother telling her mother. In fact, considering how dangerous her job was, it seemed like a particularly _bad _idea to tell her.

"...Okay," Natsuki replied. Her mouth was so dry the word barely made it out. Was Shizuru's heart pounding as fast as hers was?

"If we're going to be successful we're going to have to seem comfortable with intimacy," Shizuru added quietly. By this point she was so far out of her comfort zone that her training was near forgotten. Her cheeks took on a slight red tinge as she spoke, "I just want you to know that you have my permission to...act intimate with me. To..." Shizuru hesitated as the sound of her heart pounding in her ears got even louder. "...To touch me."

Natsuki was fairly certain she was about to pass out. _D...did she just tell me to... _The younger woman gave a small nod as she gulped almost audibly. For a moment she considered that Shizuru was just joking with her, but the look on the older woman's face was completely serious. _"Of course she's being serious," _Natsuki reminded herself. "_This is essentially an undercover operation. Nothing more, nothing less."_

"Y..yeah," Natsuki stuttered in response. "Same here." Her green eyes locked with Shizuru's. "Just another case, right?" she said with a forced laugh.

Shizuru nodded and forced a small laugh herself. "Of course." Natsuki's gaze made her feel as if she were completely transparent. The younger woman had probably already picked up on how flustered she was. "_How could she not?" _Shizuru asked herself bitterly. The brown haired woman held the younger agent's gaze for a couple more seconds - just to prove that she could - before looking away. "We only have a few minutes to smooth out the details, being as true to ourselves as possible for realism's sake," she said, quickly changing the topic. "Which restaurants we frequent, the location of our first date..." she trailed off a bit as Natsuki nodded.

"Exactly," Natsuki replied nervously. "We have about five minutes to fabricate weeks of information. I guess most of the minor details will have to be improvised as we need them," she added with a forced shrug - as if she wasn't too concerned.

In reality, she was nothing short of terrified.

"Precisely," Shizuru agreed, "though there is one detail I've yet to figure out." It was something that had been bothering her for quite a while now - weeks even. Chance events had made it possible for her to ask what she had previously thought to be unaskable. But when Natsuki gave her a questioning look, and the older woman found herself hesitating; she had no guarantee that she would like the answer she received. She almost felt as if she were taking advantage of the situation when she finally asked, "If... if you were attracted to me, would you make the first move?" As soon as the words left her lips, she felt a rush of adrenalin surge through her veins. _There._

Natsuki's eyes widened as she processed the blunt question. "W..what?" she stuttered. For a moment, she almost forgot the situation entirely. But what other reason would Shizuru have for asking such a question? "Um, s...sure," she forced out to fill the silence. She fought desperately to regain composure as she continued, "Why not?"

"Oh," Shizuru replied - her mouth so dry that her voice sounded husky. She felt a painful knotting sensation in her stomach when she realized the implications of the younger woman's words. _If she did feel the same way, she would have already told me. _Her reaction was so visceral that it completely caught her off guard. She had been rejected before, but nothing she had ever felt before came close to this.

"I mean...would you?" Natsuki asked - a sudden need to know surfacing inside her. She tried to clear her mind from the painkiller-induced haze so she could focus on Shizuru's response.

In the instant before Shizuru's expression turned neutral, Natsuki caught a moment of hesitation. "I don't see why not," the older agent replied quickly.

Natsuki felt her heart sink. "_Then... that means...but why did she hesitate?" _Natsuki asked herself. She considered it for a moment before she realized she was most likely holding onto false hope. She refused to meet Shizuru's gaze for the moment it took to refocus on the task at hand. "Why did you ask that?" She finally spoke.

"I was trying to decide what events we should say led up to our first date. It seems likely that your mother will ask," Shizuru replied. "Since we both appear to take matters into our own hands, we may as well say that you asked me out during lunch on your third day. We had dinner later on that night."

"That sounds good," Natsuki nodded. She let the sentence play over in head once more. It didn't sound very characteristic of her. Would her mother notice? Natsuki bit her lip nervously as she considered the situation. "Do you really think this is going to work, Shizuru?"

Shizuru studied the obvious worry on Natsuki's face. "Yes, I do," she replied confidently. It was forced, but Natsuki appeared to believe her. It occurred to Shizuru that the emotional reaction she herself was having was a bit ridiculous. She had infiltrated organized crime organizations after all. She was sure they were much less forgiving than both Natsuki and her mother.

"It's just..." Natsuki began, then paused to consider her word choice, "I don't usually _date_, per say." She had never been good with commitment or intimacy - actively distancing herself from those who sought either.

"Well, perhaps I'm a game changer," Shizuru snapped - a hint of ferocity surfacing in her voice. The moment the words left her lips, she regretted them. Their façade hadn't even begun and she was already letting her emotions get the better of her.

Natsuki looked a little startled by the outburst, but didn't respond.

Suddenly, her ring tone cut through the silence. The younger agent flipped the cover on her phone and glanced at the caller id. "It's her," she said simply.

"You should answer it," Shizuru replied - grateful for the distraction. "Explain the situation and provide her with my address. We'll be ready when she gets here." The confident words didn't entirely match the look on Shizuru's face.

Natsuki glanced down at her phone a second time and felt herself falter. This was her mother she was dealing with. It seemed so morally wrong to do what they were planning. To convince her mother that she and Shizuru were in love would be giving her mother what she wanted. But when Natsuki had to invent a story about the two women breaking up, her mother's fantasy would be obliterated.

Natsuki's fantasy would be obliterated.

Natsuki didn't know if she could handle coming so close to what she desperately wanted, only to have it ripped from her grasp. It was like the whole situation was some kind of cruel joke.

"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered. She felt her eyes start to moisten and bit her lip to stop tears from forming. Frustration tore through her - she couldn't even tell Shizuru _why_ she was so opposed to their plan.

Shizuru saw the pleading look in Natsuki's eyes. Hesitantly, she reached out her hand and took Natsuki's in her own. She gave the younger woman a light squeeze. "Natsuki," she spoke softly, "I have faith in you."

Natsuki's hand tingled as Shizuru released her from her grasp. Shizuru's stare left Natsuki with no doubt that the older woman was telling the truth.

The words gave her the confidence she needed to press the small green button on her phone.

"Hello?" Natsuki spoke as she lifted the phone to her ear.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you all liked it!**

**Reviews are very much appreciated! :D**


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